This morning, we woke up by 6 am again, resulting in another short night’s sleep. Today is Xiandong's Psychiatry conference, where both Xiandong and Michael will be presenting. Michael was considerate enough to tell me that I didn’t need to join them this morning, and he only had to mention it once. This was the first leisurely morning I’ve had to shower, repack, and do some blogging before starting another day. Michael has just returned from his presentation, which he described as "brilliant," and the Chinese translation by one of Xiandong's graduate students was also commendable, so everything went smoothly. I’m nearly packed, and we need to meet in the lobby in an hour to head to our next hotel, where we’ll spend the night. This hotel is closer to the airport for our flight to Xi'an tomorrow morning at 10:00. I’m uncertain about what today will bring, but I’ll try to finish this before we leave for Xi'an, where we’ll visit the Terra Cotta Warriors for my birthday.
Saturday was another busy day, despite not leaving the hotel until 10:30 am. It was overcast and slightly rainy, but not too bad as we drove to the Baodingshan Rock Carvings Cultural Site, where ancient Buddhist carvings were sculpted into the mountainsides. The monks utilized these carvings to educate the public about Buddha’s teachings, similar to how church cathedrals used paintings to convey messages about Jesus and the early church. The carvings and our English-speaking guide were both impressive. Interestingly, we ran into two other Americans, David and Lou, who were in China with the FAA inspecting airplane mechanics for flights to the U.S. David, who is black, and Lou, who is white, joked about being "twins," which one of our graduate student hosts overheard, prompting me to clarify that it was just a joke!
After the tour, we had lunch at a small local café, enjoying another fantastic meal while watching the mom chop vegetables and prepare meat as dad cooked our various dishes. Once we were full again, we walked to a bus, taking a few photos along the way, and made our way back to Chongqing for a 1.5-hour ride to check into the Sheraton Hotel for our final night. More on that later, but first, here are a few photos from our walk.
Michael and I both napped most of the drive to the hotel to prepare for another late night, which, considering it was our last night with Xiandong, was expected to be quite lively. Upon arriving at the Sheraton, the lobby was quite the sight and one we believe our current president would approve of, featuring huge golden columns with diverse designs. It became even more extravagant when we found our suite, which was adorned with gold and lavish decorations, complete with golden phones, though I regret to say there was no golden toilet. A few photos of our suite will give you an idea of the experience.
Then it was time for another lively evening featuring a hot pot meal that included nearly every imaginable animal's internal parts, chicken feet (which I tried but did not enjoy), as well as pork, beef, tofu, and vegetables. Michael and I shared a beer, and there were plenty of toasts between Xiandong and Michael. We also took a few group photos and captured city scenes before heading home to collapse into bed!
We woke up early on Sunday morning to finish packing and bid farewell to our friends in Chengdu before heading to the airport for our flight to Xi'an, where we’ll spend a few days touring with a guide arranged by our Yinchuan colleagues; we’ll meet them for the final leg of our China trip, departing Xi'an on June 25 for Yinchuan, and leaving for home on the 28th. We have been really impressed by the modernity of the "New China" and its booming economy, and our hosts have been incredibly gracious.
This morning we woke up again at 6am, resulting in another brief night of sleep. Today is Xiandong's Psychiatry conference, where both Xiandong and Michael will be presenting. Michael graciously informed me that I didn't need to accompany them this morning, and he didn't have to repeat it. This was the first morning where I could enjoy a relaxed pace to shower, repack, and work on some blogging before we embark on another day.
