Some final photos from the China experience......

First of all, a Chinese toilette ........

It doesn't really encourage an opportunity for contemplative reading.

Next, a typical dinner in a restaurant.

Almost every table had a large glass lazy-susan in the middle.  The multiple dishes would be placed on the glass, and diners would spin it around to grab the food they wanted.  I loved this.  It gave me a chance to load up on the beef and chicken offerings.....not so much on the eel and bamboo.

As a side note, the man standing (in the brown jacket) was our driver for a day.  The cars were rather small, so John hopped in a vehicle with the two factory owners (seated), while my son, Christopher, and I joined Mario (Mr. Brown Jacket).  Mario wasn't actually his name.  Rather, it's the moniker I bestowed on him after only 5 minutes of a 90 minute car drive with him. (As in Mario Andretti).

Mario could not speak a word of English.  And I could only say "Thank you" and "hello" in Chinese.  You could say that the language barrier somewhat hindered our conversational abilities. 

We traveled on a two lane highway to get to the bamboo territory of China.  Mario was driving 50-60 mph on a twisting, winding road.  Beyond the excessive speed, Mario seemed to have one goal - to pass the next vehicle in front of him - no matter what.  He was even brave enough to make high speed passes on blind curves, at breakneck speeds.  I would have admired his driving skills if I hadn't been preoccupied with concerns of soiling myself.

Mario didn't really like to use the brake. Instead, he relied on his horn.   So, one hand on the steering wheel, and one hand on his horn we careened through the countryside.  And then it happened.  Mario got a cell phone call!  I wasn't sure if he would use his steering hand, or honking hand to answer the phone.  Frankly, by this point my thoughts turned to ideas like, "I wonder if Audra will have my corpse shipped back to the states, or just have me cremated here in China?" 

Mario's phone call was not a good one.  Based upon his reaction and the tone of his voice, he was not pleased with what the caller was saying.  In fact he started screaming into the phone (while driving with his honking hand!)  I'd imagined the call was from his driving school calling to let him know that his driving instructor had been a fraud.  Nevertheless, Mario was highly upset, and seemed almost desperate.  If Mario was contemplating suicide, I resolved to bring him back from the edge.   

In my most diplomatic tone, I tried to give Mario a reason to live.  After all, there were other driving schools and other instructors.  And hadn't he just driven 1/2 of our journey while only running over two dogs and a chicken?  He seemed unpersuaded.  But, then again, I was only able to use the words "hello" and "thank you" to communicate all my thoughts.    Eventually (and thankfully), we made it to our destination. 

As I shook Mario's hand, I thanked him in Chinese.  And then in English, I said, "Thank you Mario. You scared the hell out of me today."  Christo got a big kick out of that.

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The images of old and new China were abundantly evident throughout the trip.  Old rickety bicycles being passed by gleaming new Bentleys.  The following two images, from my hotel room, also capture the dichotomy of China.

First, a fisherman is working the waters, just below our hotel room.  He's on a handmade bamboo craft.



Same location.  The Fisherman is in the lower left corner.  In the background, you can see two 30-story residential towers that are being built in this city of 100,000 people. 


It was an incredible journey.  Thanks for letting me share it with you!