A brand new temple

May 5, 2007 Saturday

When I looked out of my window this morning, I looked down to check on my lost pole. There it was – with my neighbor’s laundry on it. I guess that they figured that the gods must have delivered a pole from heaven.

I took Chuck’s shirts to the laundry while he went to the office to get some information for his talk. (4 flights) While he was gone, Zhang called. He wanted to suggest that we visit the temple that is still under construction near where he lives. It was a fabulous idea, but without someone to write the address, we can’t go anywhere.

I called the office, and luck of all luck, Hongfeng was there. She called Zhang to get the info and wrote it for us. (a note to the Hefei gang of 8: this was the red temple looking buildings that we saw on our way to the zoo. Someone told us that it was a new apartment complex. They were wrong.)

Everything is bright and shiny and new.

But not everything is finished. I poked my nose in everywhere. I like seeing things under construction.

There were two halls filled with these clay figures (all different).

This little girl’s father came up to us and said that she wanted her picture taken with us. No way, Jose!! The reason that the 2 women are in the picture is because she wouldn’t stand near us without them. Notice that they are both holding on to her to keep her form leaving. We kept trying to beg off. The adults insisted.

No matter where we go – there are always clothes hung out.

8 flights (It was a really big temple built on a hill.)

Home again (4 flights) and then dinner at Jinke (1 flight). It is getting harder and harder to get to this restaurant. The tractor that jackhammers roads worked all through our dinner. When we left, we had to carefully go over the rubble to get to the road that is open.

We had ribs, deep fried chicken balls, cucumbers, sautéed greens, eggplant, and meat dumplings.

Home and then took out the garbage (8 flights because I had stupidly forgotten the garbage every other time that I left the house today.)

25 flights today. That makes up for yesterday.