3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

Paddy rice fields viewed as we sped past in the speed train at 305km/h This is the ninth post in the Ni ha (Hello) China Travelogue . After a glorious week in Guangzhou, we travelled to Beijing via their speed or bullet train. We travelled at an average speed of 307 kilometers per hour and arrived in Beijing after 8 hours.  As we travelled through the countryside,we could see the many rice paddies. Interesting nuggets we learned from our tour guide Kong Li (Leo) Our travel guide in Beijing was Leo. Leo is the 76th generation of Confucius, a history that he is very proud of. Leo may not be the philosopher his ancestor was, but he is a brilliant tour guide and an entrepreneur de luxe ! Because of his ingenuity and his amazing network of contacts, we had hitched rides on the rickshaws and had lunch in one of the hutongs - the old courtyard style residential areas reminiscent of the old Beijing. The Seal. The box that contains your name, stamp and Chinese horoscope ...

This is post number eight in the Ni hao (Hello) China Travelogue. Mina, our tour guide and me on the boat. We knew we were ending our stay in South China with a cruise on the Pearl River, but not in my wildest dreams did I expect such a spectacular experience. It was drizzling and foggy almost the entire day, but the evening of our river cruise the heavens opened. Landie and Jean having fun.  One of the bridges lit up  We boarded our boat and were mesmerized for the next hour or so. All the buildings that surround the Pearl River switch on their headlights to create a static pyrotechnic display. Each of the riverboats glittered with their neon displays on the dark river waters. Even the bridges became part of this multi-coloured, fantastic playground. The Pearl river is 2,400 kilometers long and it is the third largest river in China. Many such colourful boats are seen on the river The lights on the buildings reflecting in the ...

My sisters and I decided to explore Cape Town City Centre. We decided to travel by train - 3rd class - to Cape Town. Our first bonus was that the total cost for our return tickets from Plumstead to Cape Town, was a mere R45,00. Our first stop was the Apache Spur because Hilary was hungry. Once the tummies were sorted, we went to the Slave Lodge. The plague explain the history of the Slave Lodge building Levona and Hilary having fun in the foyer area.  We met Ms Williams with a few of her Littlewood Primary School learners  at the Slave Lodge. Ms Williams explained that she brought these learners on this outing because they earned it. Imagine giving up your public holiday to take children out!  Ms Williams and her children I acted as a tour guide for my sisters, remembering some of the details we were given when our education district visited the Slave Lodge.  As expected, my siblings loved the exhibitions. They listened to all the audio ...

This is post number 7 in the Ni hao (Hallo) China Travelogue . After our tea experience, we spent the rest of the day at Guangzhou's Flower City Square. It is now the largest square in Guangzhou. On Flower City Square.  There are many attractions that surround Flower City Square. You can see the Opera house, the museum, the massive public library and the Canton Tower from the square. Because it was raining (again) and misty, we could not see the Canton Tower. Our tour guide, Mina, said " she was hiding because she was shy. Landie Diamond walking in the rain. In the background is the stadium where the opening ceremony of the Asian 2010 games was held. The Guangzhou Public library The Guangzhou public library designed like a "Z" and it resembles an open book The Guangzhou library is an architectural and cultural marvel. This public library was designed by an international team from Japan and China. The library resembles an ...

This is the sixth post in the Ni hao (Hello China) Travelogue  and the focus is on the morning tea we had at Nan-Yuan Restaurant. We experienced diumsum, a traditional social event when friends and family gather to drink tea and enjoy a variety of exotic dishes. And did we have an awesome time! part of our group in the courtyard Firstly, the  Nan-Yuan restaurant is elegant and opulent. Its garden setting and the courtyard is fairytale like. When you enter the large dining hall, you are greeted by a crowd of happy tea drinkers and tons of chandeliers to add to the charm. soups that were served The usual 'high teas' that we have pale in comparison to the diumsum. The menu includes a variety of tea, including flower tea, savoury snacks, sweet snacks and different soups. All these delicacies are served on beautiful porcelain platters or in bamboo baskets. savoury snacks Jean in deep concentration  seafood parcels me and one of our...

This  fifth post in the Ni hao (Hallo) China Travelogue series, covers our experiences of various aspects of Chinese culture. Enjoy the trip with us. The Chinese Flag The country's flag is red with five yellow stars. The big yellow star refers to the party of the country, the Community Party of China (CPC). 80 Million Chinese belong to the CPC. The four smaller stars represent the different groups in China. In the other post, I mentioned that there are 56 different groups in China, with the Han being the largest. China is shaped like a rooster on a map.  The three main cities are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Guangzhou, where we spent the first week, is 2,000 years old. Guangzhou is also nicknamed the Flower City or the Five Goats City. According to our lecturer, Guandzhou is the gateway to understand China. Words to describe China: LARGE: because of the size of the country, 56 peoples, 54 kinds of characters and 120 dialects. According to recorded histor...