Meat on a stick!

We have lived in Chongqing for several months now and I still have no desire to try meat on a stick!  First of all, it grosses me out that it all lays in piles together.  Secondly, it usually stinks.  I have been told it is because of the spices, but I still can't bring myself to try it.  Steve was here less than three weeks and he was brave enough to try it!

Here is Steve enjoying some meat on a stick!

Chinese New Year

We spent the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.  We left on the eve of the new year, February 9, 2013.  

Here we are at a flower festival on the eve of the New Year.  It is very common for the Chinese to buy fresh flowers or trees to take and/or have at their annual reunion dinner.  

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally ran from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendaris lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity." Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.

Pat & Steve's last night in Chongqing

This evening marked the last night of Pat & Steve's stay in Chongqing before the five of us headed to Hong Kong for a week.   Takila came over and helped us make homemade dumplings and even had us try some other traditional Chinese dish.  It was a great way to end their stay with us and also for them to meet our good friend and learn more about the Chinese culture!

Ellen enjoyed using her hands and getting messy!

Patty's first massage....ever!

Here Patty is enjoying her first foot massage.  The nice part is you get the added bonus of a neck massage while your feet our soaking in a hot tub of water!   

Cupping-  

Please note:  That is my foot in the picture below!

The specific origin of Cupping Therapy remains in obscurity - the consensus is that the action of suction has been part of therapeutic efforts throughout human history, migrating with human tribes along migratory routes. These ancient cultures used hollowed out animal horns, bones, bamboo, nuts, seashells and gourds to purge bites, pustules, infections and skin lesions from the body, and many are still in use today. Ancient healers also used Cupping devices to draw evil spirits out of the body and to balance the humors. Earthenware and metal were fashioned into Cupping vessels before the development of glass.

Cupping therapy was used in Egypt dating back some 3,500 years, where its use is represented in hieroglyphic writing. The earliest recorded use of Cupping is from the famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist, Ge Hong (281–341 A.D.). In ancient Greece, Hippocrates recommended the use of cups for a variety of ailments, while in the early 1900’s eminent British physician, Sir Arthur Keith, wrote how he witnessed Cupping performed with excellent success.

Suction Cup Therapies remained a constant in professional medical treatment throughout Europe. It was practiced by such famous physicians as Galen (131-200AD), Paracelsus(1493-1541), Ambroise Pare (1509-90) and surgeon Charles Kennedy (1826).

In China, extensive research has been carried out on Cupping, and the practice is a mainstay of government-sponsored hospitals of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The fundamental therapeutic value of Cupping has been documented through several thousand years of clinical and subjective experience and has advanced its application to many areas.

Steve's new truck or is it a motorcycle?

Well, actually it is both.  Let me introduce you to the Chinese tricycle truck built with three wheels.  And if you are not a fan of trucks, it also comes in a car version.  If you look closely you can see it does not have a steering wheel, but handlebars.  

Harley-Davidson....

Who would have thought there is a Harley-Davidson dealership in Chongqing, China?  But there is and it is very nice.  A bit more expensive, but it is well worth a visit.  It also has a pretty good restaurant above it.  The best part though is that it is located right on the river and next to a cable car that takes you into Jiefangbei, which is also known as downtown Chongqing.  

It was a great thing to do at night as the entire city was lit up along the river.  Ellen was having fun holding on tight during the ride!

Wasabi anyone?

Here we are at a Chinese restaurant near our house.  We were enjoying a variety of dishes which included sashimi, deep fried calamari, duck, broccoli, oysters, beef, noodles and many other delicious dishes.  It was all you could eat, but more than some could handle!  :)

Steve couldn't handle the wasabi, so had to hide his face and maybe a few tears!

Casey on the other hand had no problem showing off the effects of the wasabi!  

Ciqikou

 Here Pat and Steve are posing for a picture down in front of the river.  Below are some sayings writing on a door to a bar.

Ciqikou (Chinese: 磁器口; pinyin: Cíqìkǒu; literally "Porcelain Port") is an ancient town in the Shapingba District of Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China, originally called Longyinzhen (simplified Chinese: 龙隐镇; traditional Chinese: 龍隱鎮; pinyin: Lóngyǐnzhèn) was also known as Little Chongqing. According to an old Chinese proverb: "One flagstone road, and one thousand years' Ciqikou". The name of the town can be traced back to porcelain production during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing Dynasties. Formerly a busy port located at the lower reaches of the Jialing River, a thousand years after its foundation the town remains a symbol and microcosm of old Chongqing (Jiang Zhou).

Jinyun Mountian

 We spent an entire Saturday visiting this mountain.  Unfortunately it was very foggy and we did not have the best views, nor did we go into the Hot springs.

Jinyun Mountain is located along the bank of Wenling Gorge, Jialing River. It is about 60 kilometers away from urban Chongqing. Jinyun Mountain, mini Three Gorges of Jialing River and Fishing Castle in Hechuan are all listed as national natural scenic area.
 
Jinyun Mountain scenic area covers several scenic spots such as the mountain itself, Northern Hot Spring, Fishing Castle in Hechuan and natural Jialing River Scenery along Beibei and Fishing castle. It is known as mini Mount Emei for Clouds Sea, dense forest, agreeable weather and quiet environment. It is a ideal place to watch the sunrise and cloudy sky. You could enjoy the shade in summer and have a spectacular view of changing fog. Evergreen broadleaved trees meet your eyes almost in every corner of the mountain.

Jinyun Mountain is one of national nature reserves. The weather is agreeable with abundant rainfall. The forest covers an area of more than 1,300 hectares. Jinyun Mountain boasts for it high percentage of vegetation. More than 1,900 subtropical plants could be found here, 24 of which belong to rare plant protected by the nation. Metasequoia glyptostroboides,larix mas tersiana and sinensis are even more rare in the world. The mountain is hence called a "world's botanical garden.” There are high ancient trees and green bamboo in the mountain. Temples, towers, pavilions and historic sites in different dynasties are scattered around, adding more time-honored flavor to the environment.

From north to south are the Zhaori Peak, the Censer Peak, the Lion Peak, the Juyun Peak, and the Yuanxiao Peak, the Lotus Peak, the Pagoda Peak, the Yujian Peak and the Xizhao Peak. Among them, Yujian Peak claims the highest altitude, 1,050 meters above sea level. The Lion Peak is most steep and imposing. The splendid view of sunrise and Cloud Sea at Lion Peak is almost as magnificent as that inMt.Tai. Rest of peaks has its own features.

Jinyun Mountain is also famous as Buddhist sacred land in Northern Sichuan area with a history of more than 1,500 years. Jinyun Temple was originally built in 423, and renamed as Xiangsi Temple, Chongsheng Temple and Chongjiao Temple afterwards. Emperors in different dynasties attached great importance to its existence. There is private school (Jinyun School) run by the Temple.24 scrolls of Buddhism doctrines cited by Emperor Taizong of Song have been left in the Temple. The relief sculpture” Pig turning into dragon" on the Stone screen wall outside the temple was made in the Six Dynasty. Stone sculpture of Heavenly King unearthed is said to be made in Liang or Beizhou Dynasty.