China - Day 4 The Great Wall!

In you Birthday year (for me the year of the Rat) one should wear a red belt and red underwear to bring good luck and avoid troubles throughout the year!

Yellow = The Emperor's Color

Jade = China's National Stone

Rose = Beijing's Flower

Peonie = China's National Flower

Lotus = China's National Flower (yup, they have 2!)

The trees we see on the side of the roads are for the most part Chinese Scholar Trees and Cypress.

Peking vs. Beijing:

The Chinese have always called Beijing Beijing.

Theory 1 of where Peking came from: When the Cantonese left China to go west, with their accent when they would pronounce Beijing it sounded like Peking.

Theory 2 of where Peking came from: A British scholar, who was a Christian minister, who, when he translated the language changed all of the B's into P's!

So... Peking never really was, it has always been Beijing.

Cloisonne was incredible. The craftsmanship is so intricate. It is the creation of vases, jewelry, bowls, etc... using a metal base then gluing metal shapes to the metal. After that, the dyed ceramic is applied in multiple layers. The final product looks so beautiful and delicate. Only women were creating the pieces. Only one person works on each piece and they have to remember which colors go into which space on the piece. Amazing. There was one man working at the Cloisonne factory but he was running the kiln... men's work!

The Chinese call going to the "bathroom" or the "rest room" going to the "Happy Room". Eddie explained that they call it the Happy Room because it is where you go to sing. When you "Sing a Song" it means you are going #1... When you are going #2 it is said you are "Singing Opera"!! Too Funny!!!!!

Ping = Vase & Peace

The construction of the Great Wall of China happened 3000 years ago. Separate kingdoms built their own walls. When China was unified the walls were linked together. It is not only the longest wall in the world but is also considered the largest cemetery in the world.

Lady Ming's Temple... Lady Ming's husband died while building the Wall. Lady ming went to find her husband and upon finding out about his death she threw herself into the sea.

To the north is Mongolia.

Shang = Mountain

Hai = Sea

Chairman Mao said, "If you haven't climbed the Great Wall of China you aren't a true man or woman".

The Great Wall of China was such an emotional experience! We went to an area that is not well known by tourists, in fact, we were just about the only people there. We climbed a little while to the wall then actually walked on the wall. It was extremely steep in parts. I am forever indebted to Mr. Monkey, our guide, who stayed with me thru much of the climb. It was so windy and cool on top of the wall.... I could have stayed for hours or even days.

I have climbed the Great Wall of China.... I am a true woman!!!

Mama Huhu = not very good

And Traps = people who live in the basements of office buildings

SoHo = small office at home!!! <-- that is where I work... in SoHo!

On to the Acrobats... I was going to pass & now almost wish I had... so tired & so sore & well, I haven't been hungry since I got here. I'm really not ready for more food!

China - Day 3

Up at 4am and out for a walk in the park Eddie recommended. It is fascinating... people doing Tai Chi & playing Badminton & walking & playing with their dogs. There are so many dogs but most of them walk off leash which is a little concerning to me with the massive & insane traffic... but the dogs seem to know to stay out of the streets.

It feels like we lost a day when we crossed over the International Date Line. Somehow I feel cheated of a day.

Eddie's family name is Gao which = tall which Eddie isn't!

"Bring your eyes wider" is what Eddie wants for us about China - what an interesting way to put it!

Today I experienced my 1st with the "porcelain hole in the floor" potty... that was freaky. Thank to Mimi (my wonderful Grandmother) I know how to squat... it's just the aim that is difficult! Freaky!

Bei = Capital
Jing = North
...therefore, Beijing is the Capital in the North.
Ming Wa = Brightness
Shi San = 13 (which is lucky and my lucky number, 14, is not lucky)
The Forbidden City was built to the Fung Shui specs meaning there is water to the front (south) and a hill, Coal Hill to the back (north).

Wow, what a day!

Tienanmen Square - it didn't seem as massive as I expected. I thought it should go on for miles. I suppose it was bigger in my mind and in history than it is in actual size. It was still very impressive. I wanted to see Mao's mausoleum but that wasn't on the itinerary and the line was really, really long. I did get to see his massive portrait hanging above the entrance to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City - now this was massive. I can't imagine this whole complex was for the Emperor and his "family". It is huge and elaborate... anywhere else it would look tacky but somehow here in China it fits!

Peking Duck - is DELICIOUS and is for dinner!

Night Market - what a freak show of food! We saw everything imaginable on a stick! there were Starfish (Sorry Mary), Scorpions, Snakes, Seahorses and so much more. It was disgusting & fascinating at the same time. No one in our group was daring enough to venture anything more exotic than Coconut Milk with dry ice!

Communism/Socialism here is so very interesting. As Eddie says, "It is Socialism with Chinese influence"! Well stated!
There are may rules and very high taxes:

• Only cars from Beijing are allowed to drive during rush hour.



















• Everyone who drives in Beijing must take alternate transportation at least one day per week



















• License plates are numbered so you know where a car is registered & on what days it is allowed to be driven



















• For 5 years you must pay tax before buying a home (condo) in Beijing



















• For 5 years you must pay tax before you are allowed into the car lottery and are allowed to purchase and drive a car



















• Smoking Bans have been in effect since 1996 but: it is not enforced by the police, it is not enforced by restaurant owners, it is continually broken by patrons



















• Only 20,000 people each year win the "lottery" and are allowed to purchase and drive cars



















• There are stores for Gucci, Burberry, Coach, Bvlgari, etc...

Handwashing clothing for the 1st time in a very long time!

AC is my favorite thing ever. Today I'm thankful for:

• Air Conditioning



















• Foods on Sticks



















• Freedom



















• Peking Duck



















• Interesting People



















• Clean Air (there must be some around here, somewhere)

Why can't I add images to my post????????? Grrrrrrr.

China - Days 1 & 2 - A Country of Contradicion

Day 1:

Amazing how life just falls away so easily - it seems to melt away with every passing mile, everyday life is farther & farther away.

On to the incredible adventure of China!

Toronto to Beijing ~ story of my life, we have been delayed an hour but it's ok ~ I'm on vacation and going to CHINA!!

How many movies can you watch in one flight??

1. Gulliver's Travels

2. The King's Speech

3. The Tourist

4. Stage Door

5. Knight & Day

6. The American

... and that's not counting the documentaries I watched. 13 hour flights are not fun! But Air Canada feeds the masses every 2 hours!! And with the free movies, you can't complain about being bored!!

Day 2:

Somewhere we crossed the International Date Line & travelled into tomorrow. We flew over the Artic Sea! I've always wanted to travel into the Artic Circle, this is one way to do it!

I got to see Russia from the air, wow was that barren! Nothing but brown for miles and miles.

Something else I got to see was the Great Wall of China - from the air! YAY!

I haven't been this tired in forever. Was able to make it through dinner with our tour guide, Eddie, and a couple who will be part of our group, Jennifer and Bob. It was delish, real Chinese food, in China! Eddie took us to a small, dark, dirty restaurant. He was considerate enough to get us a table in a back room where we could close the door. Smoking has been banned in restaurants here for years but no one pays attention to that law.

I was able to figure out how to turn on the TV. It was a little bit of a challenge... there is a master switch box and you have to make sure the master button is on, the the desk lamp button is on, then you can turn on the tv button... after those buttons are turned on you use the remote to turn the tv on! Wow... I'm too tired to figure this out! Anyway, the first thing to show on the tv was a Ping-Pong match!! Imagine that!!

So tired and ready for sleep... dreaming sweet Asian dreams!!

*I promise Day 3 will be much more interesting!!

I missed agility practice

What an incredible day... I want to get it down before I forget any bit of it!

The girl at the front desk at the Hampton Inn was so cute. When I told her, "Ive had such an incredible day!", she thought I was being sarcastic! I suppose it isn't often that people check into a hotel (especially a working man's hotel) in such a spectacular mood!

The day started out at 4am when the alarm went off. I was out the door by 4:30 and at OIA by 5:45. After a short coffee in the Delta Sky Lounge, I boarded my flight, 1st class, to SLC. Before I left I already had in mind what I wanted to do for my adventure on this trip. Sometimes it's going to a certain restaurant, or a specific shopping area or a tourist attraction... well, this time I had a plan already laid out. Who knew it was going to be better than expected?!

My plan for the day was to see the Great Salt Lake then possibly the Bonneville Salt Flats then I found a little town on the map called Alta. Gee, my Grandmother's name was Alta so I just had to go there! Also, my doctor suggested going to Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Since my plane landed at 10am and I had worked the weekend prepping for this training I thought I might be able to justify my jaunt and fit all that in... maybe.

So, it is gray, cloudy and rainy today in Salt Lake City. The sky isn't the crystal blue I had hoped for but, hey, that's ok.

First I headed to the Great Salt Lake. Not far west on I80 I came across the Salt Lake Yacht Club. I stopped and got out to take a look around. There were only about 50 small sailboats at the Yacht Club but it was absolutely beautiful there. One of the groundskeepers, a man named Pahoe, warmly welcomed me and gave me a boatload of statistics about the Great Salt Lake. He told me the salinity of the water and the salinity in how it compares to the Dead Sea. I recall 16% somewhere in there. He told me a story of a couple who tried to swim to a certain point, not realizing it was 18 miles away and they had to be rescued. I learned that the salt in the water will quickly dehydrate you. Oh, and Pahoe introduced me to the Club's mascot, an Aussie named Taz, who loves everyone.

After the Great Salt Lake I thought, what the heck, I'll drive the 100 miles to see the Bonneville Salt Flats. I'm so glad I did. There is a rest stop on the north side of I80 that is perfect for spectating. Not that it is much of a spectator sport but, the view is absolutely breathtaking! The water was calm so the reflection of the mountains was like a reflection in a mirror. I even drove out on the "jetty" to the end. What a wondrous sight!

Having checked those two off the list I decided to tackle the other two. My little town of Alta just happens to be in Little Cottonwood Canyon... how convenient! On the way I got a good tour of town. Well, I started up 190 and, oh, my... I want a house in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I don't care which one, any of them will do. Heck, I'll take someone's garage!!! What a beautiful area. It was like a storybook village. Each home was prettier and more magnificent that the last.

Well, I headed up this "hill" on my way to Alta. Remember, the only reason I want to go there is because it was my Grandma's name. Well, the road got steeper and steeper and steeper. Did I mention it was cloudy and overcast in Salt Lake City? Well, as I got higher and higher it turned into the most beautiful snow! *This is a special treat for a Floridian! Alta is a ski resort at the top of the mountain! There may be a town up there, I don't know. By the time I started heading back down the snow was coming down hard!

I white knuckled it to the bottom of the mountain and breathed a sigh of relief. What an incredible day!

Oh, and what does this have to do with dogs and agility? Well, nothing really, other than I'm supposed to be at agility practice at home right now. Oops.

I miss my dog!

Blyss and Me

It's been a while

It's been a long while since I've posted anything... much has happened in my real world (not good stuff) and my dog world has had to take a back seat.

Right now there are no fosters in the house and Blyss is injured :-( She wasn't acting right at the last trial so I had someone take a look at her. She has injured her Psoas (think sore ass in a southern accent). It runs from her abdomin down her inner thigh. It's not terribly bad but bad enough to be on rest... no jumping.

She's been swimming a few times and I've taken her for walks. She doesn't act injured at all but then, she's a dog, she isn't going to say, "hey, I'm hurt".

We've been to Dr. Bartkus who gave her a much loved (yes, that is said with sarcasim) adjustment. She'll go back with me on Friday and get another adjustment and see if she has had any improvement.

In the meantime, poor Blyss has not been able to do any agility. We've worked on some tricks and some stays but other than that nada...

I'm off to Salt Lake City this week. Hope to visit the Bonneville Flats as well as a city named after my Grandmother... well, maybe they didn't name it Alta because her name was Alta but they have the same name. Kinda' cool!