TBD is now TBN (To Be Notified)

When you have an option for wet cleaning or dry cleaning at a hotel, we have discovered to choose dry cleaning every time.  We sent our laundry off yesterday to get washed as we were running out of clean clothes and we decided to use the wet cleaning as we thought it was like a washing machine and dryer and it was also a little less expensive.  However, we just received our laundry back today in a bag, folded and still quite wet.  So in Chinese terms, wet cleaning means washing your clothes and returning them wet.  We have spread all of our clothes out on the bed so hopefully they will dry by the time we have to pack tonight as we are leaving here tomorrow.  They also have a smell that we can’t pinpoint, but the chemicals they used on our clothes smell so unhealthy.

I was hoping to sleep in this morning, but at 7am, mom got out of bed and began making so much noise, packing and making me feel guilty for staying in bed and not helping dad before he had to leave, I had to get up and out of bed.  I finished getting dad’s duffel closed as mom had finished packing it this morning and then she and dad went to breakfast while I did a little work and started to get ready.  We then said goodbye to dad as the schedule has changed 15 times about whether or not dad was coming back to the hotel to get his luggage or not and finally he was just leaving directly from lunch to go to the airport.  Off he went.

At 10am, mom and I met Dickey (her English name- I have no idea what her Chinese name is) and it’s hard not to laugh every time we say her name.  We had arranged with her yesterday to see a little bit of Enshi for an hour or two today and then were hoping to have the afternoon off.  So we got into a private car and immediately left the hotel and drove about 10 minutes until we arrived at a beautiful temple/presidential palace/great wall of Enshi area of the Tonji people- one of the 56 nationalities in China.

Tickets were bought for us and then we were greeted by a traditional dance by the native people.  Mom videoed the whole thing and we were the only audience so it was quite cool.  Then we explored the rest of the area, the temples, heard the Tonji love song again, which we still really like and mom is excited about playing at my wedding (when we translate it).  Then we started hiking and hiking up lots of steps to the Great Wall of Enshi.  We are still very sore from yesterday’s long hike, so the steps at first were very hard, but as we started to warm up, it actually felt good to get some more exercise and work our tired muscles.  When we reached the top of the wall, we walked along the wall, up and down for a little while and met an adorable little boy with his grandparents and we then walked with them until we got to a bell tower that we climbed up and rang the bell.   

The child was adorable and spoke Chinese to us- he was a little over 2 years old.   

As we were climbing down the great wall, we were informed that we were joining Dad for lunch (we clearly we had not expected as it was already 11:20am)- so we rushed down the wall and into the car and got to the lunch place around 11:45am.  All of the doctors and nurses dad’s been working with were there at an absolutely beautiful place.  By the time we started eating it was already noon and dad’s flight was scheduled to take off at 1pm.  He was getting a little nervous because he had to check 2 bags and then someone, we don’t know who, decided to take dad’s passport and his luggage and check in for him at the airport.  When have you ever heard of someone else checking in for you?!!??  Apparently these guys have connections.  At about 12:25pm, we said goodbye to dad, and he was rushed out the door to the airport.  We learned later that he went directly to the plane and was the last to board, but made it.  He arrived in Wuhan an hour later and had to pick up his bags and then he had to check-in again for his next flight, but he had no idea what airline he was flying.  The doctor here said he was flying China Southern to Chengdu, but apparently someone looked at his passport and said he was flying Xinging Airlines that we’ve never heard of.  He also could not even check in as their counters only open 2 hours before hisflight and his flight was not until 7pm and it was only 3 pm.  So he waited, and waited.  And finally he was able to check-in, pay the over weight baggage fee and board the plane for Chengdu.

Meanwhile, mom and I were able to come back to the hotel after lunch and relax for 2 hours before we were getting picked up to do a little shopping- mom wants some scarves. During those two hours, our doorbell rang to our room and that is when our wet laundry arrived.  Around 4pm, we were picked up and went to a shopping area with Dickey.  We went to the city center and walked around a beautiful bridge that looked quite old, but was actually only 5 years old, found some nice chopsticks and some other little gifts and really enjoyed finally being able to see the “real” china and not the tourist attractions.   

When we were finished walking around, we were told we were going to a BBQ place about 1/2 an hour away so we got back into our car and were driven out of town and then suddenly turned onto a dirt road that we didn’t even see and drove through some construction and then to a farm and farm house and then to some Chinese yurts.  We had no idea where we were eating and we expected our whole group to be there.  We were led to one of the yurts which were made of bamboo and inside was a large BBQ pit and some small wooden chairs surrounding it.  It was very cool.  Then some other doctors and nurses arrived and it was just us, the other doctor that we are with and the doc’s.  A wonderful evening.  We had to cook our own food on the grill and we had very long chopsticks to turn everything.  We were also served corn juice, which was delicious.  And of course we tried the 130 proof alcohol which was very strong.  It was such a nice experience and the food was good too!  After we ate, we got back into our car and returned to the hotel to pack everything up as our TO Be Notified schedule, we were informed we needed to bring our packed bags down in the morning at 8:30am and then we are going on a tour of the University for a few hours before our flight.

 

 

 

On a bit of a side note, the hotel we are staying in is a nice place, but they have hung up on mom and jeff so many times it’s unbelievable.  Jeff tried to called yesterday and they hung up on him at least 5 times because they didn’t understand him.  Tonight we just wanted some towels so we could take a shower and they hung up on mom three times  and then finally she went downstairs to show them what we needed and while she was away, the manager called our room and I tried to ask for some towels, but it was absolutely hopeless.  He did not understand anything.  He thought I was asking to dry our clothes.  Finally our guides who are staying in the hotel with us were notified and came to our room and everyone was laughing… we got some fresh towels.

Mom received a beautiful huge bouquet of flowers from the people of Enshi