We have two high school students staying with us this week from Korea. They are in part of a shared music program with the Asia international schools. At the end of the week they will give a concert. It is a big world but a small community. One of the girls played volleyball with Abi in The Philippians two weeks ago. Go figure!

I am teaching two quilting class this fall. The beginner class is on Mondays and the advanced class is on Wednesdays. Both classes are progressing very nicely.....here are photos from Mondays class.

Karen practicing binding corners
Leah working on her quilt (btw...Leah is 8 years old)
Emily auditioning border fabrics

Basting Leah's quilt sandwich

Our trip to the porcelain town was fun and adventurous....our plane was about an hour late leaving Shanghai...we boarded the plane on time but there was some delay with our take-off. This seems to be a theme for our girls weekends...thank goodness the flight was only one hour!

We were greeted at the airport by the assistant manager of the hotel, Peter, and our driver. Kathy had arranged for a small van with driver to shuttle us around town. Our "small van" turned our to be a 25ish passenger bus....too funny!

Our "small van"....we named it the "blue dragon".

On the bus....everyone had their own set of seats plus space for the luggage....

Our hotel was only 15 minutes from the airport. Peter told us that Zingdezhen was a "small town".....only 1.5 million people. Holy cow! That was not my idea of a "small town". He said that only about 300,000 thousand people "officially" live in the town but the outlaying villages bring the population to about 1.5 million.

After we checked into the hotel (our room fee was Y309 per night...we were staying only one night but we had to pay Y600 deposit...cash......hmmmmm...I guess they were concerned that we would take all the towels and glasses from the room....we are a wild bunch!!!) we boarded the bus again and Mr. Gao (our driver) took us to our first stop....Lunch!

Lunch at a local noodle shop

Pork noodles for lunchegg and tomato dish....a local favorite

I have to say this dish is growing on me. Xiao Zhang makes this for us sometimes and it tastes great.

After our "fast food" stop we headed for the open air market.

It was raining and the streets were very wet.....and there were pots everywhere, every size, every color, and every price.....I was completely overwhelmed!

We spend a few hours looking through the market....none of us bought a thing. We were all overwhelmed! From the market we drove to another vendor known as "the great wall" shop. This shop got its name because they sell a very popular (among expats) bowl that has...guess what???...a design that looks like "the great wall".

Area around "the great wall" store

In the alleys around the shop were many small buildings where people were painting porcelain. I bet this lady is really really good at painting this emperor dude.


Clay mold

Vases and statues in the "raw" form...


This is the security system for the shop...

More outdoor space around the shop...

We looked around "the great wall" shop and confirmed that they still had the bowls. Several of our group wanted to order this bowl and found other things that were "must haves". Decisions had to be made so we left that shop with a promise to return the next day.

We went to another shopping area close to the open market.

Above these shops there is a school. We could hear the kids singing through the open windows. Sooooo cute!

The shops were all closing and it was time to go back to the hotel....we were very tired....shopping is such hard work!!!

Scenes outside our hotel. The trees had thousands of lights in them....very beautiful.
Making plans for tomorrow with Mr. Gao ...notice "the blue dragon" in the back ground.

We had dinner at the hotel. My friend Kathy calls this type of dinner a "spinner dinner" because most Chinese dinners are served on a big round table with a lazy Susan (spinner) in the middle of the table. All the food is placed on the "spinner" and each guest turns the spinner until the dish that they want is in front of them. .....thus the name "spinner dinner"!

And on the menu for this evening.....

The Chinese version of beef (meat) with broccoli


Cilantro Chicken....and look.....
Charlie Chicken was served with his head (just under the flower)


Freddy fish....complete with head, tail, and eyeballs...

Combination "meat" plate....notice the feet (not sure what animal) This one should have been called "mystery meat" platter.

Corn with mixed veggies

Okay....guess what?.....we have lived in China long enough now that nothing shocks us and we all ate this dinner and enjoyed it!!!

After dinner entertainment. The hotel advertisements said it had KTV (karaoke) rooms. But....we went to find them and "mai you" (not have). So we had to make up our own fun.....


Everyone came to my room and we played a dice game for "pot" money. Yes.... we are a wild bunch.... drinking and gambling.....but we drew the line at smoding....because there was a sign in my room that strictly prohibited smoding on the bed.
No smoding on bed

I was one of the "big pot" winners...."Pot money" was for buying porcelain pots.....what did you think it was for??? Stay tuned to see what I bought with my winnings!



After the dice game some shoppers went for a foot massage....others went to bed.

Saturday morning....
Sights from my hotel room window.


More sights from the room

On the rode again.....it's "power shopping" day! Oh my gosh.....only nine hours of shopping left!

Our first stop was a "high end" street where several famous artists display and sell their work.

The painting room

Basic design is drawn in black and then color is added to the white porcelain

This vase has tiny designs that are all hand painted....soooooo beautiful!

Work in progress

Sights on the street.....

Transportation

Porcelain street lamps....no kidding!

Next stop....the open air market

So many shops.....so many pots and vases...

This is my "pot" money prize!

Red pots.....lots of red pots

We shopped and shopped and shopped and started filling the "blue dragon" with treasures!

Then it was lunch on the bus!!! Mr. Gao went to the noodle shop (same one as yesterday) and brought "take out" noodles to the bus. Are we spoiled or what?

Lunch on the bus ...hmmmmm sounds like a movie title.

It could be the sequial to Snakes on the Plane.

No time to waste....must get back to shopping!

Blue and white tea pots in baskets

This was the cutest little guy. He talked to us in English using the only words he knew....so....he kept saying....bye bye....bye bye. Oh my gosh don't you just want to kiss those cheeks!

more vases....

more pots....

and more.....and more...

And....if that was not enough there was an area behind the market with streets and streets of treasures....

and more treasures....

and celidon treasures....

and more treasures...

and more...

love the rice bowls in the baskets...

I loved this brick wall.....had to snap a picture..

Time out from painting porcelian to play cards...

This is how the large vases are transported.....two wheeled wooden wagons

And....we are not talking about little things.....

This truck was loaded with boxes of porcelian goods....I do not understand how they are delivered without breaking....this truck is probably going to Shanghai....YIKES!!!

More transportation

These are taller than me....

In the middle of the market chickens run free....

Anyone have a place for this???

Okay....enough shopping at the market. Next stop "the great wall" shop.

Taking time for a Kodac moment...

Shopping....looking....bargaining...

During all this shopping it is nessessary....to well...find the nessessary facilities. Shelly and I attempted to use the toilet at the market....desperate times require desperate actions... We paid our money and went into the toilet....suddenly my need was not longer desperate and we backed out of the "facility" as fast as we could... I can hold it a little longer!!!

So... about one hour later......while we were at the Great Wall shop...Kathy and I were lead to another "nessessary facility". Using the toilet is always an adventure in China....

We went out into the alley and down a long path way.....I was trying to distract myself with the beautiful archatecture on the way to the toilet....note the nice window....

We kept walking and turning and walking....walking....walking.....

still walking......and finally we arrive at the toilet room... When we arrived at the bathroom the women told us there is no water in the restroom....this does not surprise us. There are about 5 stalls....we choose the cleanest two, (clean is relative to the enviornment) held our breath....tried not to touch anything, and used the "facilities". We are so brave!

Back to shopping.....these are pieces that were purchased by our group...

Kathy Kane is the proud owner of this guy

So beautiful....

geese flying over snowy trees....

Shelly's winter scene...this is going to look great with poinsettas or holly in it at Christmas!

Blue and white...
beautiful butterflies

Much business was conducted....so much that the abicuss had to be brought out. Not kidding!!!

Shopping is finished....we went to dinner and then headed to the airport.

Ah...yes....another spinner dinner!!!

We arrived one hour before our flight.....we almost the only people at the airport... We could have arrived 10 minutes before our flight and would have had 5 minute to spare. And....guess what? Our flight was delayed! Yep...the is a strong theme developing here.

Flight schedule board....it was a very small airport!

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Sheri relaxing at the airport...

Foods from the two room airport.....ever tasted "the paste of navel orange"?

Kathy Kane playing Vana White of Zingdezhen.

Our plane finally arrived and we were back in Shanghai one hour later.