xiamen wanderings

yesterday we decided to have a low key day of exploring without a real agenda. there is a market close by that we had seen from the ferry that seemed a good place to begin. immediately on leaving the hotel, the heat was oppressive, much hotter than the day before. it is hard to explain the heat in a way that makes any real sense. sauna comes to mind, but it is so heavy with moisture that steam room is a better parallel.

we strolled down to the market streets , following one lane and then another, depending on which one looked more interesting. after bargaining for and buying some jewelry we got to the place where we were definitely the only Caucasians. the streets are sort of grouped in ”themes” one will be filled with stalls of fruit, one with vegetables ect.

we passed many stalls selling fish, with bowls of live sea creatures swimming innocently, not knowing what their fate would be. also stalls with cages of lizards, snakes and other reptiles. the frogs were neatly confined with straight jackets made of bamboo leaves. we came to an intersection where men were loading freshly killed pigs from a truck ( open sides carcasses hanging) onto bikes for delivery to the stall where they would be sold. after years of working at ottos as a teen, the site of a newly slaughtered pig was not new to me. however the casual slinging over the back of a bike bumping down the alley with the liver quivering was a shock. at that point we were both very hot and a bit queasy so it was back to the hotel for a siesta.

the evening adventure was another ferry ride to gulangyu. the heat had continues to build during the day, but the water had a breeze which made it more tolerable. i have always loved boats, ferry rides being among my favorite things. we joined the dressed up friday night crowd and commuters on the boat and made the short crossing to the island.

we decided to take a scenic tour of the island via golf cart . our driver was a chinese teen, and there was one other passenger. gulangyu is famous for several things- a piano museum, the art college, its colonial roots and its no motor vehicle status. the tour turned out to be perfect. the breeze made it very pleasant watching the scenery pass. there were many retirees out for evening strolls, along with tourists walking to see the sites. at one point our cart was signaled over to stop and a group of people tried to get our driver to take them on- but she declined. we stopped at a couple of places to take photos and all too soon we were back at the ferry dock. the heat had died down a bit and it was dinner time so we headed back to the hotel .

the green vines climbing over crumbling iron gates and walls, colonial buildings and the serene feeling on gulanyu have endeared it to me. its a place i would like to spend a few days, perhaps next time.

today it is onto fuzhou to meet up with the other families . mr shen will be driving us, and i am sure that the 4 hour drive will hold some more adventures.