CHRISVALIER.COM

Today we did venture out, but again, not without our guide Mary.  She took us to the largest park in Nanchang.  We were there about 30 minutes and it started raining, so we high tailed it back to the bus.  From there, we headed to a Jade store.  It was important that Mary help us pick the right Jade store.  Evidently, there are different variations of Jade including glass and plastic sold at some of the local stores.   After the Jade store, we headed to Porcelain Street, which was, you guessed it, a street full of porcelain shops.  Nanchang is very famous and proud of its porcelain.  We visited a few of the shops that only sold hand-made porcelain and picked up some really beautiful items.  Now if we can just get them home without breaking them.

Tonight, we ventured out alone (without our guide) for dinner.  It was Julie, Ava and myself along with two other families in our group.  Although Mary was not with us, she did write out directions to the restaurant and back to the hotel for the cab driver.  She also wrote out our order (in Chinese and English) before we ever left the hotel.  It turned out to be a very good thing that she wrote out our information for us, because after the short cab ride to the restaurant, I was in no shape to even begin to think about what to order for dinner.  I was simply thankful to be alive!  I really can’t begin to explain traffic in China.  Words cannot adequately describe the harrowing adventures we’ve experienced from the back seat of a two-tone Hyundai Elantra (that’s what 90% of the cabs are here).  Anyway, dinner was at a restaurant named “0791”.   0791 just happens to be the area code for Nanchang too.  This restaurant was recommended to us by Mary and the hotel.  The food was incredible and 5 adults and 3 children all ate for 221 Yuan ($32.35).  The restaurant also had a really nice funnel shaped aquarium that was filled with Parrot Fish.  Ava was mesmerized by all of the fish.

Well, it was another really good day for all of us.  The best part, however, is that we are “one day closer to home”.  This is one incredible trip that we’ll likely never experience again, but home is really where we want to be right now.

Ava and Julie at the Park.

  We were popular with the locals again today. 

Wiped out after another long day.

As usual, there are more pictures here.