Today
was our first real visit with the Kunming students. We
woke up very early so we could get to their school to
greet them. Upon arriving there was a whole entourage
of students waiting for us. It was very exciting for all
of us.
The
students first took us to the beautiful Green
Lake Park where we saw many people doing morning exercises
and dancing. I got to dance with a very nice older lady.
Afterwards
we visited a Taoist and Buddhist temple which was amazing.
The temple itself was a work of art. There was also a
pond filled with turtles, which are a holy symbol for
Buddhists. The shrines were enormous and also quite beautiful.
My favorite part, however, was far less gaudy than the
rest of the highly decorated temple. Up in back of a somewhat
secluded part of the temple was a small shrine for Taoists.
It was an awe inspiring visit for everyone.
Next
we went to the Green Lake Hotel and observed a demonstration
of the tea ceremony and drank some Pu'ur tea. This tea
is famous in Kunming and has a smokey dark taste. It is
supposed to be quite healthful and cleanse the liver of
any toxins.
Later,
we went on home visits
with our new Chinese friends. This day was quite an adventure,
from breakfast until bed, it was packed full of Chinese
culture. We can only hope that the rest of our trip is
as exciting and informative as today.
