The Chicken dance

Last night I washed a pair of underwear and hung it on the chair outside to dry. There is laundry on this ship, but they charge by the piece. Each piece of underwear costs $1.50 to have washed. I tried to post to my blog, but the internet was too far away.
I woke up kind of early. I wanted to go to tai chi on deck 6, led by the doctor. But having had a hard time falling asleep, I went back to bed. There is no top sheet on the bed, just a comforter. It is too hot, but the AC is too cold without it. We stayed in bed until Cecily called for breakfast. But we weren't ready, so she and Alfred went by themselves. Then we got up to get ready. But the internet was back up so I tried to publish my blog post. Chis was helping me au naturel. Michele knocked on the door, so he hid in the bathroom while I opened the door and convinced her to come back in 5 minutes. But five minutes later, he was taking a shower. So she came in and hid on the balcony until after he was dressed. The two of them went to get coffee. I washed up and got dressed. They came back, having had coffee and croissants. I was faced with going to breakfast by myself. :( But then Michele agreed to come along.

On the way, we passed the tailor shop and I introduced Michele. We got to talking and were still there when Cecily and Alfred came back from breakfast. Then Michele and I went to the diningroom. I filled a plate from the buffet. As she and I were talking, the subject of quilts came up. The lady across the table said she was a quilter too. So we talked quilts. She showed me pictures of quilts she had made on her phone. I didn't have my phone, so I gave her my name so she could check my Pinterest page. Then she and her husband left.
Soon Michele and I went back to our room. Chris was reading. He had the tablet on the internet. I tried to get Blogger up. While waiting, I introduced Michele to the game 2048. I warned her that it was addicting. I should have warned myself that I might not get my tablet back. When I finally got through to Blogger, I posted for last night and started today's post.
There was a presentation on the Yantze river followed by a lesson in Chinese. But we missed them both because we (Michele and I ) were engrossed in playing 2048. We only paused it when lunch was being served. We went to the diningroom to find our companions waiting. There were menus but I decided just to eat from the salad bar. The Maitre D' came by as he usually does, to point out the gluten free items on the menu. It was another long meal due to the telling of stories, mostly ours to Ann and Shirley who are now accepted as family for the cruise. After lunch, Michele followed me back to the room to play 2048 again.

But soon it was time for the Mahjong lesson. The waiters were setting up the tables and tiles in the observation deck. We all went but Chris. And even he put in a short appearance. We had to sit with others of our group. Four people could play at a time at each table. James, our guide, explained how to mix up the tiles, then set them in rows in a square, roll dice to determine which tiles to take. It seemed an elaborate way to make sure no one could control which tiles they got. From there, it was a lot like playing Rummy: looking for three of a kind or three in a row; picking up from the new pile or the discard pile, etc. When I got to play, I won twice. It was interesting but it was good that some people had played before and could remind us of all the rules about setting up each new game.
We got back to our room and played 2048 again. When it was almost 5, I grabbed my purse and we went downstairs to get passes. We walked down to the first deck and exited through another ship to the dock. I guess we were double-parked. We walked up to the top of the dyke, and down the other side. We boarded buses and were driven to another parking lot. We disembarked and walked along the city moat.

Eventually we saw a statue and took pictures. Michele admitted that she had forgotten to put on shoes and was wearing the hotel slippers. Our guides had a discussion with someone, and then we walked down to the bridge and across the moat to the old city wall. We rode glorified golf carts to the gate that led inside the city. From there, we climbed up steps to the top. Chris and I went inside the building and continued up to the second floor. It might have been a temple, but it was full of trinkets for sale. I wandered around and took pictures. Then we went all the way down and got on the carts and rode back along the moat. At some point we got off and walked across to another statue. Then we went looking for the bus, but we did not find it. Eventually the buses found us and took us back to the dock. By then it was raining, so a man was handing out plastic rain coats in Korean packaging. We were greeted at the entrance to the ship with raspberry tea. We went to our room to change for dinner. Then we went to the dining room. I was glad we had walked in town, because I hadn't been sure I could eat another meal. For the first course, I had a spinach salad. For the main course I got cashew shrimp. The family recounted many stories for the benefit of Ann and Shirley.

We could hear the ship get underway as it headed to the next destination, the three gorges. At 9 we retired briefly to brush our teeth. Then we met in the observation lounge for a show put on by some of the staff, mostly the restaurant and housecleaning. It seemed a little makeshift, but the costumes were pretty. At one point the MC asked for two volunteers to wear the costumes. Chris and another man raised their hands. They were told to go backstage. When they came out, they were wearing rooster outfits. It was so funny (or embarrassing, I thought Michele was going to die.) Each costume had eggs buried in the tail and so the men were instructed to shake their tails to get as many eggs out as possible. Of course the chicken dance song was played. The crowd roared with laughter. The MC thanked the men, and they returned to their seats – minus the costumes. Then there was one more dance number and the show was over. I excused myself and went out. I saw Cassie and Dyveen sitting in the tea room. The three of us went to the tailor counter. Dyveen allowed me to pick scraps out of the bin while we chatted. Cassie asked questions about Protestants vs. Catholics. I answered as best I could and wished Chris were there. In a few minutes, he showed up. We chatted for a while longer and then bid them goodnight. We went to our room. I emptied the scraps from my purse. Chris took the comforter from its cover for me (because it was too hot). I finished typing up my blog, hoping to post it tonight, if the internet allowed it.
* I forgot to take pics of mahjong so I grabbed one from the internet. *

Leaving port

I washed my outfit in the sink, wrung it out and hung it in the shower area. Then I fell asleep without the ipod. I got up once to use the bathroom, and went back to sleep. I woke up at 6 40. We washed up and got dressed. At 7 I knocked on Michele and Marie's door. They came out and we went to breakfast. Al and Cecily were already there. Two ladles asked if they could join us. We got plates to circumnavigate the breakfast buffet. There was chitchat as we ate. We learned about the two ladles. Then we retired to our rooms to brush our teeth and get ready. On the way, we stopped at the reception desk to pick up passes. Our family met in the lobby at 8. We walked the passageway to the buses. When everyone had arrived, the buses took off. Our guide spoke all the way to the museum. When the bus had parked, we filed off and into the museum. We followed the guide around as he pointed out the details of the items found in Marquis Yi's tomb. Then we saw the Hubei bells, the world largest bronze musical instrument. He gave us 20 minutes of free time. I followed Cecily to the restroom. Then we looked around for a bit. I ducked in to the gift shop and wished I had more time there. I met Chris out front. The group walked to another building with an auditorium. There was a concert involving a replica of the bells, plus an ancient flute, panpipes, a set of marble chimes, drums, and some horizontally strung instruments.
After the concert, we boarded the buses and went back to the ship. We had to turn in our passes to show we were back. We went to our room. I hung my wet clothes outside on the chairs on our balcony. They were not drying in the room. I read for a while and then we went to lunch. The ship took off for the next port.
We were joined by the same two ladies as last night. Most people were in line for the salad bar. We were given menus in case we wanted to order. There were two things that sounded equally good: the ginger carrot soup and the curried lamb ragout. So I ordered both. Michele raved about the spicy carp, so I went to the salad bar and got a small piece. I ate it while the others had dessert.
After lunch, I continued reading. But I fell asleep, though not for long.
Then there was a loud blare from the loudspeaker. We were instructed to put on our lifevests and meet in the hallway for inspection. So we got them from the closet and put them on. We met other similarly attired people in the hallway. After inspection, we went to the dining room where we were given safety info. Then we took off our vests and stowed them back in our closets.

Michele came to our room to talk to Chris. I went to the observation lounge for the doctor's presentation on traditional Chinese medicine. Cecily and Al showed up, too. It was interesting, but I had heard most of the info before.
Afterward I went back to our room, where Michele and Chris were talking. I got my book and sunglasses. I went up to deck 6, thr highest one. I went outside to the seating area and read in the sun. After 4, I walked to the lounge on deck 5 to see Afternoon Tea. It did not seem special, so I went back to the room. I started typing up my blog on my tablet. Chris and Michele started watching a movie. I had just caught up, when my tablet gave me the low-battery sign. I brought in my clothes which were dry.
When it was time for the next event, we called Chris' parents but no one answered. We knocked on Marie's door, but she did not answer. Michele went in anyhow and said she was going to sit it out.So Chris and I proceeded to the observation lounge, and found the missing family there having champagne. In fact, we were handed flutes of champagne as we entered the lounge. The captain spoke and introduced some of the staff. Then 10 of them did a ballroom dancing routine, and drew in passengers as they danced. I hoped to be one chosen, but was too far away. Then the program director talked about the activities of tonight and tomorrow. It was almost time for dinner. I headed to Michele's room to tell her. But on the way I passed the tailor's shop. The lady was there by herself, sewing. I asked what she does with the scraps. She indicated the trash can. I asked if I could have them and she said yes. So I pulled the bigger pieces out and put them in my purse. She told me to come by every day. Then I knocked on Michele's door and announced dinner. She came out and we could see people surging toward the diningroom. So we went down and got in line. When they opened the door, we went to our usual table. We thought the others were close behind but did not see them. So I went upstairs to see if they were waiting for us. They were talking to the steward and complimenting him on his English. Soon we all trooped down to the dining room. There were menus, but we were told all the dishes were coming. So we waited, and indeed, one at a time, Chinese dishes were put on the rotating glass circle. I tasted some of them. The waiter brought me salmon with potatoes and a green vegetable. For dessert I got the fresh pineapple and the cheese platter. The platter was just two crackers, a long cube of goat cheese, a walnut and a candied something. I ate some of the cheese and gave the rest to Chris and Michele. After dinner we came back to the room. I worked on my blog until it was time for the painting demonstration. Then I went upstairs to the observation deck. People were sitting in the lounge chairs along the side of the deck and in folding chairs in the center. I sat there. A Chinese man told us how the brush strokes in calligraphy are the basis for Chinese painting. A lady interpreted everything he said. He did Chinese letters, and then a painting. We crowded around to watch. It was interesting, but after awhile, I left and let others take my place. I took some photos of paintings he had laid out for sale. Then I went down to the 4th deck. I passed the lady who translates for the tailor. She was just getting off work. So we started talking and then the tea lady joined us. The three of us had a marvelous time. Before end of work, they are not allowed to chat. Anyway, when Dyveen (her chosen English name) needed to go, then we broke up. When I got to our room, Chris was watching TV. He let me use the laptop to finish my blog. I laid the pieces of silk out to dry. Then I tried to post to my blog. There was no getting through so I just went to bed.
P.S. I have never drunk so much bottled water in my life. And note to self - don't look outside at the moving shore line while going up the steps. *

From Shanghai to Wuhan

After posting to my blog, I listened to my sleep track on the ipod. It was late and I fell asleep.
The next morning, Al and Cecily called at 6:50 to say they were going to breakfast in 10 minutes. Chris and I showered and got dressed, then joined them in the restaurant. The choices on the buffet were similar to yesterday.
After breakfast we went back to our room. II finished the last of the kimchi. I brushed my teeth and packed. By 8:15 we had our suitcases outside our door for pickup. By 9:30 we were checking out and getting on the bus. Our bus stopped not far away at the Bund. Chris and I had walked there before. But this time, the guide spoke to us through our earpieces and told us about the buildings we could see along the river. Then he gave us 20 minutes to go look at them. All we got to see was the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation. It was in a very old building and had mosaics from all the large cities in the world, plus signs of the zodiac and Greek words emblazoned on the walls. No pictures were allowed. Then we went back to meet the bus.
Our next stop was the airport. The checked luggage was being handled by the tour agency. As we got off, we tipped the female guide and the bus driver. We went inside, through a kind of presecurity check. Then the male guide gave us back our passports. He also handed out boarding passes. The female guide handed out box lunches. But I was given a bag lunch. Eventually we were allowed to walk through to the regular security check,except for Marie, whose checked luggage had raised questions. Cecily and I went through security together. Then we met the others and walked to gate 66. We sat to eat our lunches and wait to board. Everyone else had ham sandwiches and cheesecake. But my gluten-free lunch contained a salad, kimbap, sliced apples and something else.

I ate the kimbap and something else. Then we found out that the gate was changed to 63, which was on a whole other level. We gathered our carry-ons and went down an escalator. We found seats by gate 63 and waited, and waited. Finally we got to board. All of us were in the same row except for Alfred. There was another wait until the plane took off. I was sleepy and almost out when the stewardesses came around with another boxed lunch. This one was rice, with carrots and beef in sauce, plus pickled veggies and apple juice. I gave my apple juice to Cecily who was not impressed with the food. I wasn't either but I ate it. Chris gave me his carrots. We spent the rest of the flight talking amongst the family.
After we landed, it was a long taxi to the airport in Wuhan. Then everyone stood in the aisle waiting to exit the plane. But it was a long wait. And then, they took the stairs away and got another set. The passengers deplaned to the tarmac and got on a shuttle, which ran several times to get everyone to the airport. Then there was a lot of standing around. I had to sit after a while. Eventually we went out of the airport to find more buses waiting. We spent an hour listening to the guide talk about Wuhan and riding to the port where the cruise ship was docked. We lined up and got on board. A nice young lady took Chris and I and Michele and Marie to our rooms, which were across the hall from each other. The place was very nice, if not particularly spacious. I watched the TV in the room which was showing information about the ship. I finished the salad from lunch and ate a banana oatmeal cookie. Then I left to find the others. I walked around the central portion where you could see all the decks. There was a tailor shop and sample fabrics. There was a tea shop with beautiful tea sets. And a jewelry shop. I found them in the in-laws room on the 5th deck, drinking wine. We talked for a bit, then went to the bar. We ordered drinks, but I only had water. Chris asked me if I wanted tea so I said yes. Then he disappeared. Everyone's drinks arrived. No Chris. We talked and talked. Still no Chris. Cecily was getting worried so I got up to find him. He was sitting across a small table from a pretty young woman at the tea shop. She was brewing tea, one small cup at a time, and they were discussing the finer points of the French language. I took a picture and went back to the lounge to show the family. Then I returned to Chris. I sat beside him and he explained that she was brewing pu'er tea, a fermented tea.

We chatted with the young lady who was a senior in college studying English. Our family came out and told us to join them in 15 minutes in the ship dining room on the second deck. We finished up with the tea lady, and went downstairs. We found the Damours sitting with two older women. We took our seats and learned more about them. Michele had sat with the oldest one on the plane. She had been a pilot and a nurse. Her friend had been a nurse, too. We were handed menus to pick an appetiser, a main course and a dessert. I ordered two appetizers because I couldn't choose and none of the main courses called my name. So, first I had the Thai fish cake. Later during the main course, I had the saffron cauliflower soup. Cecily gave me some of her main course. The conversation went on a long time. Other tables were empty. A couple stopped by to say how nice it was to see a family cruising together and that they were going to take their kids next time. Finally I signaled Chris that I was ready to go. So we said goodbye to everyone. On the way to our cabin, we passed the tailor shop. There was a man sewing and a lady ready to take orders. Chris asked her if I could use one of the machines. She said yes, but they did not have any scraps of fabric yet. My heart leaped at the thought of getting to sew on scraps of nice silk and brocade.
We went back to our cabin and closed the drapes. Sadly, because it was such a nice view. But I did not want to be someone else's nice view. Chris got on his laptop to read e-mail. I had a heck of a time getting my table to connect. I had to try different parts of the room. Finally I was able to delete e-mail, but that was all. Then Chris let me use the laptop to post to my blog.
I don't think I mentioned that Shanghai was full of motorcycles and bicycles. Wuhan had fewer, but still you could see the stands of brightly colored bikes for rent. Also, it is not safe to drink the tap water, so we live on bottled water. The tour company provides it often. Ice cubes are fine on the ship, but not out in town.

Shopping

Last night I listened to my sleep track on the ipod. It put me right to sleep.
Chris woke me up at 6am. Then he shaved and took a shower. Just after he turned the water on,our room phone rang. It was Alfred. He said they got in at 11:30 last night. He said they were going to breakfast if we wanted to meet them there. So, after we got dressed, we went to the restaurant on the first floor called The Stage. It was a buffet breakfast with fruit, salad, eggs, sausage, breads, juices, and Chinese dishes. We greeted them warmly and caught up as we ate. I gave lip balms to Cecily, Michele, and Marie. After breakfast, we went back to our room with Michele. I gave her the skirt from the 5day market. We got our money and water bottles. Then we met the group downstairs. We were immediately ushered to a bus outside. In each seat was a handheld receiver with an earpiece and extra batteries. The guide instructed us to turn it on and listen. As the bus took us to the market, he told us what to expect today and tomorrow. The bus pulled over at an intersection and we got off. We followed the guide to a large market full of small shops. Every thing was well maintained. He was telling us about a garden which a man built for his parents, but they died before it was finished. The state took it over when he died. It was quite elaborate, with pavilions and koi ponds, and rocks like swiss cheese.

Then we went to the silk market. We were shown how silk is extracted from a single cocoon. Then a lad showed us how she extracts the bugs from a double cocoon, then washes and stretches it, again and again. With many many layers, it becomes silk batting. We were taken to a room where we could buy any size we wanted of batting encased in a cotton covering. I asked about buying the batting separately, but Chris told me not to. They had washable silk covers to put the coverlet in so that the cotton one doesn't get dirty. I pick out one and got pillowcases to match. Chris paid for it and they mashed it all together so tightly that it did not take up much room. Then in the next room., there were silk products for sale: scarves, tops, shirts, robes, slips, ties, pillows, wallets, handbags, etc. And fabric. I got two yards of a really nice green. But we were out of time so I had to leave. We went back to the market street. The booths were so colorful, but we were on a schedule. We followed the guide quite some way to another building where we went up to the third floor. We saw an exhibit of a woman embroidering silk threads onto a silk background. It was thread painting. And all around us were beautiful examples of it, costing thousands of dollars each.

In another room there was a lady making a silk rug by hand. And all around her were piles of gorgeous silk rugs. Cecily needed to sit and found a place. Eventually the others in our party joined her. I kept looking at the pictures and the rugs. I also found a rack of scarves, light and heavy. It was a 2 for 2 sale so I looked through all of them, but nothing spoke to me. Then the guide told me to go upstairs to the restaurant. My party was already there. There was a large rotating circle in the center. The server brought dishes to the table and we had to turn the circle to pass the food. It looked good. But earlier the driver had said that tomorrow we would be eating a packed lunch consisting of ham sandwiches, and if anyone did not want that, they should let him know privately. So I had told him that I did not eat bread because of the gluten. Well, he hadn't forgotten. In fact, he came over to our table, told me that many of the dishes had gluten in them and that he would bring me a salad instead. Oops. So I passed up some interesting foods and ate the rice and salad that he brought. Chris gave me his mushrooms. Finally lunch was over and the guide herded us out so we could visit a Chinese history museum. I asked him if there was any way I could go back to the market.

He said maybe after the museum. But, on the way, he brought me to a man (who was with the tour) and said the man would walk me back to the market. And he did. He sat and waited for me at the silk place as I examined all the items for sale. I finally picked out two and bought them. I told him I wanted to shop at the little booths on the street. He had something else to do, so he pointed out the top of our hotel in the skyline and told me to just walk straight and turn left to get there. And he left. Then I had the most marvelous time flitting from shop to shop, examining scarves and jewelry and knick knacks. One booth had unusual musical instruments. Another had pens and pencils. After searching for a stylus, I finally found a pen with a special tip on it. Then I checked the direction of my shadow, and headed away from it. That got me out of the market going in the right direction. There were a lot of interesting shops on the walk back, but I was afraid I would be missed.
When I got back to the hotel, I checked in with the front desk. They said the tour had not returned yet. Chris had our room key, so the lady made me another one. I went up to our room, dropped the packages and had some water. I ate some leftover kimchi.

Chris arrived soon after. He said he liked the museum but he did not think I would have. I tried to do some Sudoku, but I fell asleep. Chris woke me at 4:55 saying we had to meet his parents at 5. I was groggy and had a hard time getting ready. We went down to the first floor where they were sitting in the bar area. We had drinks and salted peanuts and good conversation. I think we went back to the room for a minute or two and reconvened at the restaurant on the 5th floor. Very nice place. They brought us a meal in a partitioned box and a bowl of soup. It looked really good, but then someone took mine away because it had gluten and brought a less interesting one in its place, and the soup was different. Michele gave me her lotus shoots. I ate what I could, but had had too many peanuts. We had a nice chat over supper. Cecily was not impressed with the food. Then we went to our rooms to get ready for the show. I put a wrap in my purse and picked up my fanny pack. We met the buses downstairs. Ours was bus D. We were encouraged to sit in the same seats each time. We had a trip to a large auditorium with a stage. We waited for the show to start. Then the lights dimmed and the music swelled. We were treated to a collection of acrobatic acts. We had listened to the guide ramble on about how the performance art schools were formed (on the bus trip). Now we saw the effects: troupes of performers doing balancing and flexibility stunts with hats, ribbons, hoops, yo-yos, balls, glass trees, etc. In the last act, they assembled a large spherical cage on the stage. 4 motorcyclists went inside and were driving all around in different patterns, often looking like they were about to crash.

When the show was over, we proceeded out. The performers were selling videos in the outer room. We got on the bus and rode back to the hotel. We each went to our rooms.
I started typing my blog for the day. I checked to see if I could connect with Blogger, and I could but only to view it, not to post to it. So Chris jumped through hoops to get to Blogger on his little laptop. I tried to e-mail myself and then him the blog files that I wrote yesterday, but they did not come through. So he did a direct transfer from tablet to laptop. But my post was in three pieces and the first two were not right. So he read me the first two pages and I typed them into the third file. Then I copy/pasted to Blogger. But Blogger then disappeared. Chris was able to get it back, but it took a long time. I went back to the tablet to continue writing the next blog. When Chris finished posting for yesterday, he gave me the laptop to finish today's post. He fell asleep while I was writing it, so it may not post until tomorrow.
* the dragon wall in the garden *

Off to China

I packed my suitcase with bubblewrap. There was nothing to do but retire for the night. I was surprised how quickly I fell asleep. Not fast but not too badly. I was dreaming when Chris woke me at 4am. I took a shower and got dressed. I checked e-mail and drank some mineral water. I shut down the computers and did stretches. When the taxi arrived, we wheeled our luggage out to the curb. I went back for the recyclables, then got in the taxi and drove away. Along the way to the airport, I gave cookies to the driver. When we got to the airport, Chris paid the driver and we went inside to the checkin counter. When our luggage was on its way, we stopped by the restroom, then got in line for security. That went well. We proceeded to Customs. Afterward, we walked to our gate. While we waited, I ate seed crackers and watched the Korean news. The Koreans were watching it too. Later we lined up to board the plane. Chris and I were seated across the aisle from each other. The place was not full so we each had the entire row to ourselves. It was a short flight, about 45 minutes. Still, I used my earplugs which help adjust air pressure. During the flight, they played a video of gags. Some were really funny. After we landed, everyone stood up to leave.

Chris got my carry on down for me and accidentally hit me in the head with it. I fell into the seat, but was only stunned We got off the plane and walked a long way to our gate. We shared our last orange and ate some cookies. Then I used my tablet to write notes for my blog while Chris fielded phone calls. I had a lot to learn about using the document editor on the tablet. I decided to scope out the restrooms for later. Just beyond the restroom was a packaged food store. I went in just to look. There were a lot of propolis products, including toothpaste. But what got me to open my wallet was the kimchi. It was $9. I thought I had enough won to get it but I had to pay wigh yuan. The lady wrapped it up with a seal that said"Do not open until final destination. I guess it was a customs thing. I went back to where Chris was sitting. I watched the luggage while he used the rest room. Half of the plane was boarding. We waited but then joined the end of the line even though they hadn't called our row yet. Still, when we got on, plenty of seats ahead of us were full. And after we sat, plenty of people passed us. We sat there so long that I fell asleep. taking off woke me up but not by much. I put in my earplugs and almost went back to sleep. Then I heard the food cart. The meal was chicken, rice, a roll, and a fruit cup. I gave the roll to Chris. After eating, I mediated. Then I saw that Chris was watching a movie. So I checked out the selections. Not much. I watched something that was like Candid Camera. The plane landed and my ears were doing quite well. We went through Immigration with no problem except waiting in line. Then we picked jp our bags. The exit to that room said you better be prepared to be searched by Customs. But when we went through the door, there were lines of people holding up signs to find particular passengers. We walked the gamut but did not see the cruise people who were supposed to meet us. We looked all around.

Chris went outside to look for their van. Then he walked the gamut again and this time he saw them. We met another couple on the same tour. The guide explained some things we needed to know, then put us and our luggage in a van. The driver drove over an hour in dense traffic to the hotel. It was amazing! We checked in, walked around a bit, then went to our room. In a bit, our luggage was delivered. Chris put our passports in the safe. He got on his laptop and I took a nap. When I got up, I ate half of the kimchi. Then I tried to use my tablet online, but had trouble. We looked at a map and tried to figure out where we were. Once we did, we walked to something called the Bund. It was nice architecture, but nothing was going on. So we walked back. I saw a shoe store and looked inside. When we came to a cute rustic restaurant that had a pictorial restaurant, we went inside and got two orders of dimsum. Oh, it was so good! I gave Chris some of mine because I was not as hungry. Then we went back to the hotel. We figured it was about time for the other Damours to arrive. So we sat in the beautiful lobby and waited. Someone played the piano upstairs. It was nice to listen to. But after an hour and not seeing them, we went back to our room. Chris fell asleep and I caught up on Sudoku. I was a little worried because we had left a message for them at the front desk. But Chris was not. I typed up my blog on the tablet, but it would not post to Blogger. But at least I have it saved for later.
* The second pic was taken INSIDE the hotel. *

Packing - the final frontier

I fell asleep on the couch last night, listening to something on Youtube. I awoke sometime later and went to bed. I would have said that I slept well, but I did not feel like getting up the next morning.
I got up about 8:45. I read e-mail and drank a quart of water with a whole lemon in it. (gotta use up those lemons). I got my packing list and ran around trying to find items. I found Michele's old Ipod Shuffle. It seemed like a good place to put some sleep music. However, I tried it with my new laptop, the desktop, and my old laptop. I got different readings from each one. Mostly the old desktop said it did not exist. Chris came home for lunch and tried, too. I thought he had it. I made seed crackers using the big egg. It seemed to be big enough to substitute for the three eggs it calls for. I went back to packing what was on my list. Dynee texted me that she wanted to go walk the trail. So I went with her. We walked and talked. When we got back, I checked e-mail and looked for the packing sheet. I kept mislaying it. I went through my laptop cases looking for the mp3 headphones. When I finally found them, they were in my sauna bag. I practiced writing documents on my tablet, just in case I cannot post to my blog from China. At least I can save them on my tablet for June.
I went through my supplements to pick out the most important ones and pack them in the smallest bottles. Once I had all of my items picked, I wrapped them in clear plastic bags, then put them in the suitcase. I put the toiletries bag in the carry on with the seed crackers, banana cookies and chocolates. I ate things that were going to rot in the fridge. I collated the recyclables. Chris came home after 8. He made himself supper. I put everything in the suitcase and decided to fill the rest of the space with puffits, which I could throw away as I bought stuff in China. We watched two more episodes of Shetland. Then Chris packed his suitcase while I took one more look at my e-mail, knowing I might not see it again for two weeks.
* This pic is from the walk Dynee and I took yesterday. We found a quaint little pottery shop. *

Chinese yuan

I listened to an adult bedtime story on Youtube. It was about walking in the woods and finding a lake. I must have fallen asleep because I don't remember the rest. But, since I was on the couch, I woke up and went to bed.
I woke up hearing Chris getting ready for work. I did not hear my alarm, but when I got up it was about 7:46. I got a slow start to my morning. I wanted to play relaxing music, but when I got on the computer to look for it, I got sidetracked by reading e-mail. I swished and exercised. I boiled water and made coffee. I rebounded and drybrushed. I meditated and tapped. Then I started cleaning. But I didn't get very far before it was time to meet Dynee. She and I walked to the largest bank in town. We did not have to wait long. I handed won to the lady and asked for renminbi. She wanted to see my passport but I did not have it. Thankfully Dynee had hers so it worked out.
After getting Chinese cash, we walked toward Masan to a store we'd seen before but it was closed. As in, it was closed then and it was closed now. Dynee was disappointed. We walked back to base, stopping in a little pottery shop that we hadn't seen before. It was a good trial run for my new white shoes. They are not as comfortable as the red ones, but still pretty good.
Then I watered my plants. I read some e-mail, and started texting Myra. But then Lacee was ready to go. So I texted Dynee and we met at her car. We picked up Lacee at her house and drove to the chapel. When we got inside, the chaplain was getting everything perfectly arranged for the vice admiral's visit. The three of us took an armload of sewing stuff to Dynee's car. Ms. Sung helped. When it was all in the car, we drove to Housing. We carried an armload to the 2nd floor. Lacee and I tried to lower one of the shelves. It was difficult and still not in the right place but we decided it would do. I arranged stuff in the closet while the others went back for more.
Then we took Lacee home and I went home with Dynee. She pointed out the house where the rear admiral lower half was staying. The lawn needed mowing. I wasn't sure if I should do it. Dynee said it might point out how some agency is not doing their job.
I got out a suitcase and put a nightgown in it. I found my packing list and started going through it. I could not find the grounding wire or the charger for my tablet. I looked and looked. Then I got caught on Pinterest looking for sewing projects. I saved them to one of my Pinterest pages. Then I texted Lacee that she could look there if she needed ideas. From pics on Pinterest I got ideas for more necklaces. I cut more strips and braided them. I started a second one, but wanted it to be different somehow.
I ate something, I think. Chris came home from work late. He made himself supper. I read e-mail and listened to an interview from the Microbiome summit. Then we watched a Netflix movie called Paradox. I found it interesting and an unexpected plot twist at the end.
Chris went to bed, but he came back out because he had a pimple on the back of his leg. He wanted me to pop it. I had a hard time with it. I even got out a needle. He said it didn't hurt too much, but it was all bloody and I could not get the insides out. I gave up and washed it with hydrogen peroxide. He read for a bit before turning off the light. I stayed up to post to my blog and find something boring to listen to.
* Latest fabric necklace. *