Hi from Dali,
We have been having a nice & restful time in Dali. If you want to read more about Dali, here it is:
Dali
This is an ancient city that in 1000AD was one of the 14th biggest cities in the world because it was on the Silk Route. Dali was a kingdom in itself and home to the Bai tribe. There are 3 large pagodas that are 1,100 yrs old & have stood through over 30 earthquakes. The Bai still live here in large numbers and we biked through the residential part of town to see their homes which blocks plastered over & painted white. Often great artwork is painted on the outside walls & the doorways are very decorative. Usually their was a courtyard is full of flowing plants. And wherever there is soil, there is a ridged garden meticulously kept. The whole city is surrounded by majestic mountains frosted with snow and they cradle a large lake. Inside the walls of Old Dali, the mountain streams have been made into creative courses filled with rocks, waterfalls and curved bridges. The pink cherry blossoms are in full bloom & some type of a weeping tree is spring green now. In other words, it's gorgeous. Old Dali use to be a hang out for backpackers & mountain climbers but unfortunately, it's become quite touristy with lots of souvenir shops & food vendors. But I am loving the fact that it has lots of western type food here as well as Bai & Chinese choices. After a month of eating Chinese, it's a welcome change! Speaking of food...here's Roger's take on it:
Food
I (Roger) am eating almost everything that they bring and just one day of a queasy stomach so far. I have trouble with the chopsticks and often someone at the table tries to show me how to hold them....I am not a very quick learner but I get enough to eat so that could be why I'm not very motivated to change my ways. Meat is chopped with the bone and all joint material still attached then stir-fried or boiled, then often served in a sauce or with many sauces available to dip the meat in. We had some very good pork ribs Yesterday that were well done and were in a barbecue sauce..Yum!
Always white rice is available with the meal but sometimes not at the beginning. Soup (usually a clear broth with spinach) is served near the end of the meal. Its surprising how good it is when other options are not so inviting. When eating at the village one of the men offered me the chicken head right out of the pot but he seemed happy to eat it himself when I declined his offer. We sometimes start with a salad (some kind of root cut up in small pieces and soaked in vinegar)...then dishes of stir fried chicken with vegetables (broccoli or other chinese vegetables), pork with all the fat possible included, beef, Chinese cabbage, lotus roots, peas, beans many served up with hot peppers and slippery green onions, tofu (sometimes stuffed with ?) coagulated pig blood (cut up in squares and cooked in the soup). Savory mushrooms, sprouts, rice noodles and dessert of Lion ? (rice cake covered with brown sugar and baked).
Breakfast is usually a large bowl of hot steaming rice noodles served in a tasty clear broth with pieces of meat and sausage also thrown in and bits of dried pig fat floating on top. Then you are able to add chopped green onion, chives, powdered hot pepper and other spices to your own taste.
When we go into the restaurant there is always a cooler with fresh meat (sometimes with heads attached) and vegetables inside that you can inspect and select for the meal. Sometimes the vegetables & live fish/snail/frogs/squid/shrimp/and unknown items are all displayed in bins on the steps in front of the restaurant. No frozen prepared meals here. Also no menu. Very different from Michigan!
Dali University
We had the privilege to spend a Sunday afternoon with four of Dali University students. The three girls who met us at the bus station plus a friend, Chung who is an English major. First we took them to lunch at their favorite restaurant, Superman Vegetarian. They ordered lots and ate it all up telling us that the dorm food was horrid. (For six of us, it cost about $20 plus $1 more for ice cream cones later.) Then we took a bus to theri University and they gave us a grand tour. As we strolled, we had an enlightening time discussing both USA & China politics, economy, culture, families, wars gays & homeless. We both soaked up info from each other. They asked us many questions about USA: Does everyone carry a gun & are they scared like they saw on TV? Do we eat alone always? How does USA feel about gays? about China? about VietNam war? Do we really have freedom and what are we free to do? Do we like Obama? We too asked questions being careful not to be too invasive. They all felt China was improving and getting stronger and were proud of that. However, they didn't feel the economic growth was helping the poor. Li's waitress job paid her about $7 for 8 hours--and no one tips here. They did feel like even though college cost was about $700 per year for tuition & dorm, most all Chinese could go if they wanted to as there were many scholarships available. Unfortunately, most (we read almost 90%) will not get good jobs even with degree. All dreamed of traveling--just to other provinces seemed out of reach to them. They thought we were brave, energetic and very lucky. We agreed. As we parted, they thanked us for our honesty and wrote down our email address. If we stay in touch, it will be so fascinating to follow their lives.
Coming to America
One of the guys, (LaddyLi) at HANDA has been telling us often that he hopes to come to American & will stay with us & work our farm. He says we won't need to pay him...just feed him. I wonder if he is kidding or for real???
Signing off for now....
