This blog entry chronologically happened before the blog about the Sichuan earthquake anniversary, but it took longer to finish this one.
Over May Day (International Workers Day),a holiday in China that the US does not celebrate in any other way but work, Alaina, Ben, and I went to Xiamen. Xiamen is in Fujian Provence, which is famous for tea. You can easily see five tea shops on one side of a block! As a lover of tea, I was in heaven.
Our adventure began with a half-day bus ride. (There was a lot of traffic.) Our hotel room ended up being a fantastically huge deluxe suite: king size bed, two bathrooms, a bidet, and a hottub. If any of you feel the pangs of jealousy, do not deny those feelings. It was a perfect fluke.
If anyone gets a chance to visit Xiamen, one of the most popular tourist spots in Gulangyu Island. The island is covered in plants and trees. Hidden within the green are Western style buildings. There are old consulates and government buildings, even a Catholic Church. The island also has hotels, cafes, restaurants, an aquarium, and little shops. The island was like a small society. The consulates are all abandoned, as are most of the government buildings. The former Japanese consulate building has plants growing up it. (I wonder why China did not treat a Japanese government building with more respect.) You have to ride a ferry to Gulangyu, but it is relaxing. Plus the entertainment factor of watching Chinese scurry to rent binoculars to see buildings and statues visible to the naked eye is worth it.
Now I have been in Shenzhen for many months, and the visit to Xiamen made me rethink returning to Shenzhen. The climate of Xiamen is much cooler and not as humid as Shenzhen. It was so wonderful, I did not want to return to Shenzhen to teach.
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