The mornig after

Hi All:

It looks as if Burt has not yet posted info about our week-end yet so I will.

We left about 7:45 am Sat. morning and drove almost 5 hours until we stopped for lunch. The countryside is different from what we had seen so far around Wuhan. We completely travelled over highways and took lots of pictures of road signs because they are all funny as they "massacre" the English language. Hopefully we'll be able to read them when I blow them up on my computer screen.

After 4 hours of driving we stopped for lunch (Chinese of course!!) Then we drove another hour to Chexi which is a "manufactured" community like Sturbridge Village for the non-traditionalists which means the minority groups in China. We saw paper-making and pottery making and I experienced the first toilet that was like I expected all of China to be (dirty, only 1/2 walls and, of course, eastern). Again, I took a picture (No I wasn't going at the time nor was any one else!!). The tour guides tell interesting stories about when all the toilets were like this one (or worse) and people sang while they were using it so that others would know and not come in. They call it going to "sing a song" instead of going to the toilet. Now, although many toilets that I have used are eastern style, all are in private stalls and many are quite clean. Some have rolls of toilet paper in the common area but many have none so I'm glad I brought lots. The other interesting thing about toilets is that in at the dam yesterday they had what looked like port-a-potties but the ratio of men's (urinals only) to women's was about 4 to 1. I don't know why that is unless far fewer women travel than men.

In Chexi Burt tried everything (what a surprise!!). We saw a play about marriage where they asked for audience participation and Burt was one of two Americans who got up on stage. And then they had a waterwheel that you could turn with your feet and sure enough Burt tried it (I was really afraid he was going to slip and fall but he didn't!!)

After we visited Chexi we checked into our hotel which is a typical Chinese "Rube Goldberg". It was supposed to be 4 star and the rooms were two story suites with a large living area including a kitchenette and and a 1/2 bath on the first floor and then a spiral staircase leading to the sleeping area which had two king-size beds but only one light which was on the ceiling for the entire area (except the bathroom which did have light.) There was no light over one of the beds and a dressing table and mirror with no light. Also the bathroom had a clear door (shades of our master bathroom in Jax!!) so you could see the toilet area and some of the single travellers shared a room so I imagine they were a bit uncomfortable.

Yesterday we went to the 3 Gorges Dam. We had to go to 3 checkpoints and then individual security before we could get in (thank you 9/11!) And then we travelled on their internal buses (again, I'm sure for security reasons!) It is the most powerful dam in the world and is very impressive. Driving there we went through beautiful mountain areas. Unfortunately the only way to see the actual 3 Gorges is by boat and it is a 4 day journey so we weren't able to do it. It is built near Yichang because that part of the Yangtze River has the sturdiest rock. We watched a few very large barges go through. It takes 4 hours for the large boats to go through so they are building another dam for small boats which will only take 1/2 an hour. I think it will be completed in 2009.

At the very last place we visited I finally accomplishe my last "important" shopping mission. We had seen wonderful Chines jackets that you use on wine bottles as hostess gifts in Beijing for 10 yuan each but George who was our TFF representative said that we could find them in Wuhan so I didn't buy them. And until yesterday I had not been able to find them again. George, who is teaching at the medical school an hour from us was on the trip this week-end so I asked him where in Wuhan he found them. He said at the wholesale market which is an hour by cab from where we are staying and then you have to take a ferry and it is only open at night. I was psyching myself to go when I found the jackets at the dam. I bought all they had for 15 yuan each but at this point I wasn't going to quibble. So all of you who invite me to dinner in the next few years, please know that I will be bringing a bottle of wine in a chinese jacket!!

After the dam visit we went back to Yichang for lunch and then it was time for the LONG bus ride back to HUST. It took us 5 1/2 hours to get back because we had to drop off the people from the medical school first. My ankles never swell but they sure did on this bus ride as did most peoples'. We only made one 10 minute stop on the whole ride back and most of us were just plain restless and anxious to get back to the hotel by hour 3. When the HUST representative who was with us realized we were going to get back to so late (8:30), he offered to buy us dinner and we all refused!!! We just wanted to get back.

We got back around 8:30 pm as I said above, took showers, I ate pbj sandwiches, we both had juice and we went to bed.

I was planning to go to Burt's class this afternoon but I just got a text message from him saying that he forgot his lunch ticket so I will walk over to this class at about 11:15 and join him and Harry for lunch in the cafeteria and then I will go back at 2:30.

Guess that's if for now.

Love from us...Shelley