Monday, March 15
Got to sleep in this morning. The first tour was scheduled at 9:30 so spent a little extra time in bed and a later breakfast. Everyone appreciated the break from the hectic schedule of the tour. Breakfast was nice
. Bonnie and I got down to the dining room just as the kids were finishing up. When the kids left the Canadian group leaders came down and sat with us so we had a nice talk with them during breakfast. It was a very enjoyable start to the day. As we came down to go on our hike we all saw that it was raining very hard and so the first tour was postponed until 10:30. That gave me a chance to send some blog entries to my daughter for her to post along with some pictures. It’s nearly 10:30 so I must stop here and go for the tour. More later.
We had a little change of schedule at 10:30. We went on our bamboo raft trip. This was really spectacular. The rafts hold two people and the boatman. The boatman poles the raft down the river through a very picturesque portion of the river. It is unfortunate there are actually vendor on rafts anchored in the river harassing you as you move down the river. You should have either waterproof shoes or boots on or a plastic 
shopping bag to cover your shoes. They will get wet. The river is made deeper by having damns along its length. Of course the dams have gaps in them so that the rafts can get through. There is up to a five-foot drop and the rafts are long enough to make this “jump” in levels easily without getting the passengers too wet. Bonnie did get her butt wet when we went over the last dam. The river runs slowly and there are few enough ripples that often you can see the reflection of the surrounding hills. There is spectacular beauty everywhere you look in Yangshou. It’s an amazing place.
After the spectacular rafting trip we went to climb Moon Hill. One of the rock outcroppings that stud the landscape has a great circular hole near the top. It looks pretty cool from the bottom but the view is spectacular from the top. Getting to the top is the hard part. You must climb what seems like a million steps to get there. The climb is about 300 meters so there are a lot of steps but getting to the top gives you bragging rights
and a spectacular view. Another amazing short journey in our tour.Lunch was next on the schedule. Went to a local establishment and generally I thought it was pretty ordinary but then maybe after all of the wonderful meals we have had I am getting a little jaded, only time will tell. The meal was certainly satisfactory but nothing to write home about.
Shortly after the lunch we went on the bicycle ride that had been originally scheduled in the morning. We started out along the highway, which seemed quite unimpressive. After about 10 minutes we turned down
a country lane and soon were in the midst of farm country. Rice fields, orange groves, wheat fields, and crops we couldn’t identify surrounded us. We also got the opportunity to spend some time at a village farm. Looked around the house, kitchen, and other areas of the farm itself. There was a variety of meats and vegetables hanging in the house drying. It's a method of preservation that is used extensively in China. I had a turn at the wheel of a soy liquid extract machine. Soon found out the task was more about technique and stamina than strength. I think this trip was the highlight of the day. It seems that each day gets better than the last. The extraordinary thing is that we still have one more event after dinner this evening. 
We had dinner on West Street and from there went to the light show. The show was pretty spectacular. Most of it took place on the river and was a dazzling display. Over 600 actors, mostly local, are in the show and it is a very well attended show. No rain so no worries. Another day is at an end and we look forward to another exciting day in China.
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