Fellow Virtual Travelers,
Wow! Just wow! Words can't describe what we're feeling right now! Yesterday the weather was rainy and overcast which gave the perfect opportunity to review our data, compile additional questions and prepare camera gear for our upcoming hikes. The weather is supposed to clear in a couple of days which could be just enough time to get ready.
After texting Victor that we'd like to see him a couple of times, he stopped by to invite us to breakfast in a nearby hotel. We had a good chat about the book idea and upcoming days, then returned to our hotel to do our 'homework' to get a handle on where we are and where we need to be for this project.
At that point, we got a text from Victor, 'Come to my office right away.' Upon arriving we discovered that he had distinguished guests. A fellow martial artist master (Master Wu) from Chengdu China, some of his students and a tea baron. We were served by the tea baron, one of the more expensive teas that China has to offer. We were next invited upstairs to watch Victor and Master Wu perform a Tai Chi Chuan form and were allowed to video and photograph them. Then they asked us to join them in a shortened Tai Chi form! To follow along!
Next we were invited to join them for lunch in a nearby restaurant, enjoying local cuisine as well as dishes from Sichuan province (very spicy). We discovered a special pepper that provides a delicious flavor but that if you eat it, will make your mouth numb!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper
We can't describe how honored it feels to be taken into a circle of people who don't even know us or speak our language!
We also haven't had so much tea to drink in the last year, as we've had in the last few days! But that is how business is done in China.
As with everything, there is a yin and yang aspect and after such a beautiful day, we listened to construction on the other side of our hotel wall until 10:30 pm! Not very conducive to sleep, so Dennis went next door and was able to convey the message that people in the next hotel were trying to sleep! The construction noises subsided and we slept until it was light outside, for the first time since arriving in China!
We had a nice breakfast of noodles with vegetables and rice porridge. The sun is out today, so we decided to make this a photo day, rather than staying inside to do research. Walked about 5 miles (Saturday), visiting places like the Hanging Cliff (also known as South Craig Temple or Nanyan Gong) and got to look out over the Purple Cloud Pavilion, where we first performed the Tai Chi Iron Fan form on our Kung Fu School trip in 1996!
We've attached a map of Wudangshan so you can get a grasp of the enormity of this location, as well as another picture taken just this morning!
Blessings,
Dennis&Anita