Foreign Land
6th Visit to China (5)
27.07.2016

The hotel breakfast was about the same as yesterday.
We had to check out at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

We went to Mount Qingyuan after breakfast.
I did not have any idea of the way to Mount Qingyuan. But we asked a few persons on our way and we managed to reach there by buses.

There was concession for that place of interest. Teacher Hui did not bring his identity card for the teacher, and he had to pay a full price of 70 Yuan. I was an elderly and I paid half the price, 35 Yuan.
There were many people taking picture right in front of the huge stone statue of Lao-tze. It was too bright and was not easy to take a good picture.
We later climbed up the mountain. I only climbed for a distance and took a rest there. Teacher Hui continued to climb up.
As we had to check out from the Hotel, we did not have time to visit other places of interest.

After that, we took a bus to the Clock Tower. Likewise, we took our lunch at the dumpling shop.
Then we walked to buy some local products and took an automobile trishaw back to the Hotel.

I took a shower fast when we were back to the guestroom. After checking out, we took a rest at the lobby.
The High Speed Rail from Quanzhou to Xiamen would leave Quanzhou at 7.30 p.m. After checking at 2 p.m., we had another five hours to wait for. Other than the time taking to the High Speed Rail Station, we had to spend a long hour waiting.

After resting for a while in the Lobby, Teacher Hui said that we went for the foot therapy at the shop next to the Hotel.
That was the first time I went for a foot therapy. I was not used to it and I was not willing too. But I thought we could spend some times there. So I agreed with it.
The therapist brought a wooden tub with a bag of Chinese herb in the warm water. It would be 50 Yuan for the therapy. The therapist asked me whether it was my first trial and requested me to be relaxed. It was not that I was not relaxed, but because I was not willing to have it. In order to pass time, I had no choice. Hence I was not enjoyed.

It was about 45 minutes or an hour. Then it was mentioned about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) massage cost 85 Yuan.
I could not help. I was upset.
We went upstairs, but in the separate rooms. The therapist was the same person.
The therapist requested me to be relaxed several times. He asked me whether that was the first time I went for massage. I did not tell him that I went for full body massage from June 2002 until August 2007 once a month. It was done by my therapy master. I also learned the full body massage from my master. But, I did not like other stranger to massage for me.

I self learned massage from the book in 1983. Until I learned full body massage from my master in 2002. So far I only applied full body massage on five persons. I did not do for anybody else after 2009.

I knew it would be difficult for the therapist when I was not relaxed.
In order to help the therapist, I started to talk to him. But I did not let him know that I knew massage.
He was from Guizhou. He ever ran his own business in Shanghai, but failed.
He then applied for the therapist post. He learned the skills in Shanxi. He came to Quanzhou for only two months.

After spending two hours, we left the shop. He passed me a stick of cigarette. I told him that I did not smoke.
I said that he could start all over again after the failure. I encouraged him to learn the skill with effort.

We then went to take the Taiwan style dinner. After dinner, we took a taxi to the Quanzhou Station.

The High Speed Rail took only half an hour from Quanzhou to Xiamen.
From Xiamen North Station, we took a bus to the Ferry Terminal Station. It was very crowded. It took more than an hour to reach our destination. I stood in the bus for about an hour.
After alighting from the bus, we went to Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Zone. It was late, but was still busy.
We looked for a hotel on the way. Finally we came to the Xiamen Huaqiao Hotel.

When Teacher Hui went for Foot Therapy yesterday, I was waiting in the Hotel. I then cancelled the booking of hotels in Xiamen and Chaozhou I made before my tour to China.

I felt very cold before bed. It was very, very cold that I was shivering.
I thought it was because we did not have the same thinking on certain matters that made me felt sick.
He liked to make friend. I did not like to meet stranger. It was very hard for me to compromise.
After parting for eleven years, and spending so much money, I just wished that to meet him for a few days again. If I had to spend time for the stranger, it was meaningless to come.

Might be I could not take even a little irritation when getting older.
I wrapped myself in the sleeping bag. I sat on the bed and dared not to sleep. I was worried that I would have nightmare. I thought of going home when I was at the foreign land.
I was not sure when I fell asleep.


Mount Qingyuan

Visiting Lao-tze in the mountain

Confucius and Lao-tzu (Taoist sage)

Lao-tzu (Taoist sage)

Flower

Butterfly

Rock of Lao-tze

Teacher Hui

Dumpling for lunch

Oyster omelette

Lunch   Bean curd and seaweed

Dinner   Taiwan Style

Bus in Quanzhou

Automatic Cash Paying

Quanzhou   Goodbye

Xiamen   Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Zone


08.03.2017