To the Shaanxi History Museum today. Got some great pics of children along the way. Saw 5 Kodak Express shops between the museums and our hotel. Fuji is here too but Kodak is considered the most reliable and sophisticated.
I took a pic of Xiao Jing standing next to the panel introducing the Zhou Dynasty 21st century B.C. to 770B.C. A time of humanities in China. Xiao Jing's ancestry originated then. She was able to read many of the Chinese characters from artifacts from that time. She and Michael just thrive on this stuff. It's exhilarating to watch them. I took some pics of artifacts. There were three areas to survey. We covered them all.
We walked from there to a food stand, wolfed down four dishes of vegetables and meat and fish and rice, great eggplant.
There was a honey store a way further, went in and talked with a clerk about the history of honey in China. Bought some honey (they had all kinds but packaged in heavy plastic bags so we bought a small jar and also a jar of bee pollen. The clerk provided a small wooden spoon for measuring the pellets. Instructions say to be cautious in its use if you have allergies to bees. Took a picture here.
Then on to the Xian Washou Eight Mortals Palace- a Taoist temple. Our timing was perfect. We happened on a service given twice daily to pray for the visitors. A huge laughing Buddha in center of the back wall and 4 Buddhas on either side.. In front of the Buddhas on either side stood 5 singers , men and women, wearing square black head pieces and deep rose colored robes trimmed in black. Their hair was pulled back. They sang in a rapid chant clanging cymbals, drums, and occasional bells. They were accompanied by musicians playing ancient instruments. It was very captivating to watch. It would have been disrespectful to take any pictures. We talked to one of the group members who was sitting apart from the others. He asked if I had any questions. Xiao Jing translated for me. I asked what his position was wondering if he was a priest since he dressed differently. He only admitted to being the leader of the group. The music director. He was interested to find that there are practitioners of Eastern disciplines in the USA. Xiao Jing asked why there were no fat members in the group. He said Taoists believe in good health. All are practitioners of Tai Chi . The best of the group is a woman!
We then wandered into a garden where we drank our water and I took some pics. We were now ready to admit to exhaustion and heat effects. I suggested we have a little bee pollen. Michael wondered "How"? Xiao Jing said, "The clerk put a spoon in the bag". Michael took a good spoon full (he's always been one to dive right in!) and Xiao Jing and I took a bit. It was pleasant to chew the pellets. Michael said, "This was the very best experience - at this temple- so far. It was less crowded, less commercial and the chanting made it more real to me."
We headed for the bus. We noted that as time went on we felt more awake!
We picked up our laundry on our return. Then we rested two hours. I showered and tried to nap on the bed with my eye pillow across my eyes and my Ipod music (Billy Holiday, Bob Marley, Crosby and Nash, B Springsteen) as a lullaby.
Out again at 8:30 for dinner. I pleaded with X to not order four dishes' but four arrived and rice. She insists we need protein and lots of vegetables (fish served whole in a mildly sweet sauce. The fish is segmented to the skeleton so it's more easily removed with chopsticks and so tender), more eggplant, again in a sweet sauce and oily, a wonderful green leafy vegetable, the uncooked leaf is similar in taste to mustard greens but it's much lighter in color. It was stir fried and served with garlic crushed and sprinkled over it, the fourth dish was portobello mushrooms and small orange mushrooms in a light sauce.
For all our complaints and my noting that others were ordering only one item we ate heartily and shamelessly. This was an outside restaurant crammed with people having a good time and enjoying each other, babies, young couples, tourists, etc. No yelling, no cell phones, good service and low prices.
Wandered a bit for exercise. Enjoyed the lovely evening. Watched the bats flying high above the bell tower, couples and families enjoying the weather, beggars with their pleading eyes. I am told again not to "engage them" in spite of their babies. Noted the long, strings of paper kites flying above being sold by peddlers. There are two men, one in different areas of this park. Each is selling views through their telescopes. Michael speaks with the second one who is closing up for the night. I had mentioned to Michael that it's probably too light in this commercial district to see the stars and I remembered how bright the stars were that night on the train as we rode through the countryside. The man said this was not an issue with the telescope. Michael said as we walked on that he was sorry he hadn't asked the man if he had made the telescope himself. We noted that it didn't look factory made. It was pulled on a cart and the scope was of white material, heavy, large, the end of it big as a truck tire.
To bed at ten thirty. We are tired.
One more Kodak shop.
Me at the Shaanxi History Museum entrance.
Xiao Jing beside the Zhou Dynasty panel.
Michael and Xiao Jing in discussion.
Porcelain statue Tang Dynasty
Porcelain statues Tang dynasty. (Sorry about the flash.)
Ancient bells. Many such bells were displayed.
The clerk at the honey store. Her mother had happened by with the clerk's son. They enjoyed having this picture taken.
At the Eight Mortals Palace Taoist temple.
This old man had just taken a sip from the spout of the tea pot when I took this picture.
On the way back to our hotel we picked up our now clean laundry and the proprietresses agreed to this picture.
