The touring continues.

The touring continues. I have my Chinese name now which is Hu Ya Jing which means patient, calm and quiet. I guess they know me well in China! LOL. I went to see a man who specializes in this and using my birthdate and time he used all kinds of calculations to figure out my balance of the five elements (wood, fire, gold, and two others) to find my name. I'm lacking in gold, by the way. Roger??

We were rained out on Thursday. We were in the hotel most of the day because the heavy rains make traveling difficult. The streets often flood. We were suppose to visit a small village nearby and see a cave home but that didn't work because it was too muddy. The Yellow River rose and was also very muddy.

We continue to eat well. We've had some meals that are very special and not for the commoner. Yesterdays meal featured 32 dishes.

We have visited a number of shrines. My favorite so far is the Flying Rainbow Pegoda surrounded by shrines. It is in a remote area but is more detailed and intimate feeling than any I've seen.

Last night we had dinner at Anli's home. She is a chinese teacher who was a great support to us in Linfen. We met her husband, son, father and mother-in-law and grandmother all who live in the same home. She and her husband have another home about a 25 minute walk from this home so they divide their time. She rarely has to cook because her MIL does it. The food was delicious and we laughed until our sides hurt. Despite the language barriers, I loved the wonderful humor of this family.

We have two more days in Huozhou then we leave for Datong and then on to Beijing and home in 8 days.