Imperial China Day 21
Imperial China
OAT Day 2-17 - Saturday, April 26, 2008 - Tea Research Center Optional-Reed Flute Cave-Guilin Children’s Palace - Guilin, China
Our alarm went off at 7:00 and we had a lot of time for our breakfast. The atrium was not crowded today, so we were able to enjoy a leisurely meal with our friends.
While Gennie took a quick walk through the gift shop, I went out to get a weather report for the day. The sun was burning off the early morning fog. It was 64 degrees and 83% humidity - promises for a beautiful day!
Eleven of us chose to participate in the morning optional Learning Discover, a tour of the Tea Research Center. Matt gave us a short synopsis of what we would be seeing.
It was Saturday so many families were out and about shopping and enjoying their time together. Matt reminded us that even though Guilin is a relatively small city, traffic is still a problem.
With so many new cars on the roads each day and so many new and inexperienced drivers, there is no driving etiquette. Many people in China take the rules of the road as suggestions only, so professional drivers such as Mr. Ma are very frustrated!
We arrived at the Tea Research Center at 9:30 and were met by our guide, Monica. The first thing she did was to give us all a wide brimmed hat used for picking tea and for shade from the hot sun.
She supplied us with information about the history of tea and also about the background of the research center. She also showed us how to pick the individual tea leaves.
The difference between green and black tea is the size of the leaves when they are harvested. The tiny single shoots of the tender new leaves are the best for green tea. The large, more mature leaves are used for black and oolong tea.
The climate in Guilin is perfect for growing the tea bushes. The air is very clean here and the humidity is ideal for growth of the flavorful leaves.
We had a contest to see who could pick the tenderest young leaves in a ten minute time period. Jan and Gennie, both Iowa girls won the contest for the best pickers. Must have been those formative years spent in the strawberry fields!
Monica took our tea into the production area and showed us the next steps in the process. After the tea is dried on big baskets in the sun, it is roasted, rolled, and then chopped into small flakes.
This whole process is done by hand, thus the expense of this organic and specialty tea. The next step was the time-honored Tea Ceremony.
We watched as Monica went through the sequence of elaborate steps to make tea the old fashioned way. We were able to taste four kinds of tea; each one for a special time of day, each one with its unique qualities.
Drinking green tea in the morning is very good for starting your day. Adding caffeine and antioxidants, green tea is recommended by the government of China for all workers. It is especially good for those who work in technology because it helps to reduce the affects from the radiation from the computer screens.
The last step in the process was the “Show Room” where several people in our group helped with healthy contributions to China’s economy. We were on our way at 11:45, fighting traffic to get back to our hotel.
We returned to our hotel at noon to pick up Marvin, Don, and Jeanette. We dropped off our bags and drove to the Tea and Drink House, a bookstore and café where we had our lunch.
Most of our meal today was vegetarian, with family style dishes beautifully presented and artistically arranged. They tasted good too!
Our next adventure was the Reed Flute Cave. On the way, Matt explained about the beggars we have seen on the streets. Many are professionals; not street people or homeless, but out there to lure tourists and they make quite a good living!
The Reed Flute Cave was discovered by farmers in ancient times and used as a hiding place during feudal wars. During the bombing and Japanese invasion, it was also used as an air raid shelter.
The cave is always comfortable at about 70 degrees with a supply of fresh water. I checked the “weather” periodically and found it to be 70 degrees with humidity as high as 92%.
There were many beautiful limestone water formations. Matt helped to point them out. He conceded that having a few beers for lunch might have helped our imaginations!
We left the park at 3:00 and drove for about 20 minutes to visit a local Kindergarten at the Guilin Children’s Palace. This seemed to be a Saturday enrichment school where children and their parents spend Saturday afternoon in specialty classes.
Matt and our guide took us to a water color class, a class for English, and a dance/exercise class. The English teacher asked for a volunteer to help teach the class. The group “volunteered” Gennie who taught the children several finger plays.
We had a great time and again marveled at the compliant children and the opportunities in China for learning English! Most of the people here are so friendly, greeting us with a friendly “hello” when we pass them on the street!
Dinner tonight was directly across the river at the Hotel Fubo. After dinner we chose to walk back to our hotel. Jim and MaryAnn from Prescott, Arizona and Marvin and Don from Athens, Ohio all walked with us.
The fragrance of the trees in bloom, the beautiful lights reflecting on the water, and conversations with new friends made for a perfect ending to our trip to the beautiful and friendly city of Guilin.
We fly back to Chengdu at 8:00 in the morning so we finished up the journal and packed for our early morning wake-up call at 5:00.
Accommodations: Guilin Royal Garden Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D
Video - Gennie Teaching Chinese Children Itzy Bitsy Spider - 39 seconds
Picture 1 - Tea Research Center
Picture 2 - Traffic - All Types of Vehicles and Pedestrians
Picture 3 - Reed Flute Cave
Picture 4 - Guilin Children’s Palace Art Class
Picture 5 - Nightfall on Guilin and Li River
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Comments
Once again, your pictures continue to amaze me. I think my favorite of any I've seen is today's shot of the two women picking tea! I've also liked several of the night shots along the river and today's picture of the traffic snarl--shades of Lima, Peru
Post a Comment!Sounds like you guys had a great day! Beautiful pictures as well.
Classes, Guilin Children's Palace, China (1:09)
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