Hubei Provincial Museum, Aloha Diner & Yellow Crane Tower

Charlie was supposed to have posted a bit more vs. just "cabin fever!" so I'll take on the duties....as he, the boys and Ashley try and rest a little bit (although the boys are having a massive giggle fest and cannot sit for more than 2 minutes).  It's 2:42 p.m. and we continue to try and wait out the rain.  However, I am not sure when it will actually stop.  We swear that it is monsoon season here, although Grant keeps telling us this is just a "little" normal rainfall. 

Yesterday, since the weather was so poor, we ended up going to the Hubei Provincial Museum.  It was huge, so we only saw one part of it, but it was all of the artifacts of the Marquis of "something that I can't remember." There were many coffins, jade pieces and other artifacts that he had been buried with. It was sort of similar to a mini King Tut exhibit.

There was also a very large (largest in China) set of bells that he was buried with that were unearthed from his tomb in 1970's.  Unbelievably, they were all intact.  We sat through a mini bell show as locals played the bells and danced.  Museums tend to be very uninteresting to young children, so Kyle & Dylan had alot of energy to expend and spent much time hopping around, skipping and trying to touch artifacts through the glass!  I am sure that the museum curators were very excited by our presence. 

After our museum visit, we asked Grant how to get to a western restaurant called the Aloha Diner.  He and our driver agreed to take us there vs. our trying to take a cab.  I had read about the diner on-line and corresponded with the owners who are ex-Californians that had spent several years in Hawaii.  They had originally told me that it was an easy 1/2 hr. cab ride away from our hotel.  Well, we set out at 5:45 p.m. last night and let's just say that we did not arrive there until 7:30 or later!!!  The monsoon rains had hit again and the traffic was about 10 times worse than Philadelphia traffic on its worst day.  As we drove, only a few miles an hour, the kids started passing out one by one (as the car was heating up inside and our driver I guess wasn't really used to using defrosters or alot of air).  It sort of felt like a tomb at times!  Just as we thought that we were making progress, we came to a dead stop at the foot of a bridge.  After about a 1/2 hr. of not moving anywhere, our driver informed us that there had been an accident.  To which Grant further informed us that all traffic grinds to a halt until a police car arrives, takes pictures and only then can a car be moved!!  So we sat and sat, growing weary from hunger and boredom and lack of air, and then finally traffic started again.  At that time, our driver decided that he would take a "short cut" to avoid more traffic. We ended up on some crazy flooded road with massive craters in it that we would hit every few feet and the car would slam in and out of it.  At the same time, all cars/buses/scooters and humans were driving or walking however they felt comfortable - no lines, no traffic rules, no stop lights were observed at all. It's a total free for all with humans sometimes appearing out of nowhere right near your car!  Rita also noticed that our driver did the entire ride in 2nd gear only, although we weren't quite sure why. 

We finally arrived at the restaurant around 7:30.  Our driver (who only speaks Chinese) and Grant were quite taken by our choice. They had never been to such an "American restaurant."  Grant even tried fajitas for the first time in his entire life.  Luckily, the food was good (milkshakes and smoothies further hit the spot!) and we had a fun time.  After dinner and talking to some of the folks in the restaurant (who were very curious of how we ended up there but were either ex-Americans or Chinese who spoke very decent English), we set back on our homeward journey and luckily made it back in 45 minutes.  By that time, the entire car was asleep (except for the driver, Grant and me) and had to be awakened as we pulled into the hotel.  I am sure that our driver needed a stiff drink of something after that experience!!

After a very rough breakfast with Ashley (screaming, sliding out of her high chair and refusing to eat), we set forth on our next journey.  Grant had assured us that the weather would be beautiful this morning.  Sure enough, it rained all night and all morning!  We were told that the driver was running late due to traffic, but finally at 9:30, we were told to go downstairs.  At that time, we see a brand new driver. Grant informed us that our driver had been in his own traffic accident and had to go to the hospital.  Supposedly, he was okay but just needed a check-up and will be back in service for us tomorrow (not sure about the car, though)!

Anyway, despite the rain, we set off to see the Yellow Crane Tower.  Another massive historical monument in Wuhan.  Unfortunately, Grant informed us just as we were getting there that elevators are only allowed for seniors (I felt like saying that I did feel more like 70 yrs old today and could I get a pass) and those with limb disorders.  Additionally, he said that strollers were not allowed past the first floor (which was really not the first floor, as it was another climb of at least 100 steps) to the first floor.  As usual, none of the monuments in China are child or handicapped friendly. They don't believe in ramps.  So as the rain poured, Charlie hoisted Ashley on his shoulder while the boys took Rita's and my hands for the climb up the tower (five levels we climbed!)  By the top level, the heights were starting to get a bit daunting and the boys had enough of the crane history and stories (although they were all interesting and symbolic).  We saw a little bit of skyline but most of it was covered in fog.  Kyle kept complaining that the stairs were hard to climb, although he told me that the Buddha climb was so "easy" that he would have done it again.  Note that the Buddha climb was much harder than what we did today, so we told him to empower himself and to get it done as a champion climber.

Both yesterday and today, we have been the topic of several folks' conversations because we are wearing shorts (it's probably in the low to mid 70s).  We are very much an oddity and people will ask our guide about it, since everyone else is in long pants and coats. Yesterday, we even had a few people tapping on Ashley's legs as we walked by as she was in shorts and a few raindrops were hitting her.  Some ladies were not happy with us.  Now, I swear that I saw a guy in a wool sweater yesterday, too!  Today, we even had people taking pictures of us.  Many try and talk to Dylan in Chinese, too.  Our driver tried to speak to him last night, and all Dylan could say quietly was "I have no idea what he is saying!"  Others will do double-takes when they see us (one man ran smack into a waitress this a.m. as his head was turned).  Still others will notably count the children, then look at us and say "3?!"  It's all very amusing to us. 

And just a few other random notes:

Grant told us that no one in Wuhan has heated homes, only some of the government buildings and government officials have heated homes.  Supposedly, it is very expensive so most cannot afford it.  So he told us that they just wear tons of layers and coats in the house during the winter.  It has to be completely freezing at times due to the wind and humidity. 

Many of the people in Wuhan now have cars, because of an economic stimulus package that was put forth a few years ago but now there are so many cars that traffic stops to a standstill multiple times a day.  They are currently working on a massive subway project that will be done in 2016. 

Many of the people here do have their own apartments and don't live with their in-laws.  There are all types of apartments that were built in various eras from the 1950s - 2000s.  The earliest apartments don't have indoor plumbing and are something like 400 sq feet! Sounds like an ideal living situation to me.  Some have water tanks on the roofs, but now the water has been ruled to be unsafe and stagnant from sitting in those towers, so everyone drinks bottled water. 

All children here in Wuhan need to be potty-trained by the age of 2 or they won't be admitted to pre-school/day care.  He said that no one wants to handle the change duties at the school and day care.  Both Grant and his wife are adoption/heritage tour guides so his son primarily lives with his parents, until he and/or his wife can be off for a few days and then the son will come home to live with them on a weekend. 

The children here seem to have very long school days (we have a school right behind the hotel) and the students arrive between 7 and 7:30 and then don't leave until 5:30.  They have several breaks and then are called back to their classrooms by some kind of Chinese music or anthem.

They still do eat cat, dog and turtles here.  Turtles (I think that Grant said that there are 50 different kinds) being a huge but expensive delicacy.  We have seen a few small pet dogs on the streets and I did see one black cat.  There are no birds here, though, that we have seen (I guess due to pollution?)  The pollution is not horrendous here (like the orange sky in Nanchang) but when it isn't raining, it is very smoggy. 

Thank goodness for ipod music (helps put Ashley to sleep just like it did for Kyle) and DS games for the boys.  Despite being very "active" probably due more to boredom than anything, the kids have done really well for such a big trip that requires several stops, lots of paperwork, and that really does not focus on them.  They have always found something to eat when we go out and are so worn out by 7:30 that they pass out and sleep for almost 11 hrs.  They find all of the sites and smells and people quite interesting. And they have been very helpful, when needed, with Ashley's needs.  Dylan continues to stroke her hair (like he is petting one of our cats or something) but it is very tenderly.  It is still very interesting to us that he still acts as though he never has lived in China.  He finds it a totally foreign place.  I guess that he must have blocked out many of his memories for a bit of time. He does love all of the public modes of transportation and looks forward to seeing Mr. Grant and our "school bus" in the morning.

I think that we are all a bit ready to leave Wuhan and move on to Guangzhou (we will have another male guide there), especially due to better weather being predicted further south.  We will have our notary appointment tomorrow morning and then we will visit a Buddist Temple in the afternoon prior to catching a flight to Guangzhou around 6 p.m. tomorrow night. At least Guangzhou will have more walking areas and parks.  There are no parks in the city area here unlike Shenyang last summer.

I'll stop here and the travel writer will be back from his sojourn on the next posts!