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!