During the following years, our families lived near each other and got together for holidays and special occasions, looking after the older generation and watching the younger generation grow. Esther was the hub of our family wheel, and when she died of cancer four years ago, we all struggled to readjust in our relationships with each other. Ping and Sam, always on good terms but never intimate, began to find common interests: politics, religion, food. Then, they decided to take a trip together.
Neither of them had seen the Yellow Mountains, located in Anhui province, Sam’s father’s ancestral home, so they decided to go there. The Yellow Mountains are the Yosemite of China--big, beautiful, and enjoyable for everyone. They visited the Yellow Mountains, stopped over in Shanghai, and wrapped up the trip in Hong Kong. The Yellow Mountains are not yellow. They’re named after Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor. Yellow symbolizes the Earth, which is one of the five elements make up the physical world. They flew in to Huangshan, spent the night in a hotel at the base of the mountain (“the good hotel,” sorry no pictures). From their hotel window, they could see donkeys carrying their loads up the mountain. Donkey Power. They went up the mountain in the cable car the next morning. China has some very exciting cable cars, and these are no exception. |
Look at those abs! You’re welcome, ladies.
I’m only showing you the nice part of the room. Since I try to keep this blog on the positive side, I’m not going to show you the dirty walls, the moldy baseboards, or the haunted sink (it spread water over the whole floor no matter what they did). If Sam ever takes me to the Yellow Mountains, we’re going to stay in the other mountaintop hotel--it has the same reviews, but dignitaries stay there. It’s gotta be better.
The hotel did, however, have a lovely buffet breakfast. The unrecognizable stuff in the round bowls is preserved vegetables, nuts, dried fruit. If you have never eaten buffet breakfast in a Chinese hotel, you’re missing out. All four major food groups, plus a bunch of stuff you can’t identify. Delicious and nutritious! Plus, if you time it right, you won’t need lunch. |
If someone had told Sam and Ping 50 years ago that they would travel together to China’s most beautiful mountains and have a great time eating, sightseeing, and relaxing together, I doubt they would have believed it. Losing Esther, wife and sister, made a hole that can never be filled. Things don’t always end up like you thought they would, but, thank God, sometimes you get joy where you didn’t expect it. |