wide eyed: traveling day twenty-two - in which we immerse in Chinese culture

A tea ceremony with Chinese local friends started the morning today, after a long public transport trek across town. We sat at the back of a little shop in the Tea Market, and were treated to many different sorts of tea. I started guessing the season and year of the tea like a wine critic just for fun, and got three and a half answers correct out of four (the half answer was because I said Autumn 2013, which obviously hasn't happened here yet but I meant now, which is Spring 2013). I bestowed upon myself the title of Tea Prophet and made Sweeping Tea Statements. Our lovely tea host did not quite know whether to be extremely polite and take me seriously or just laugh. Tea is taken very seriously here in China. I may have discovered my hidden gift of telling when a tea is grown just by the taste. I bought a little sugar bowl at the shop as a way of saying thank you for all the lovely tea, and for putting up with my Tea Generalisations.

'This green tea was from the Spring 2013 crop' (Tea Prophet - Catriona Pine)

This is a Tea Pet. You pour leftover tea onto it and it brings you luck.

Friends that drink much tea together, visit the bathroom together for the rest of the day.

The Yangzte River through Wuhan.

All the tea had made us peckish, so we popped into Food Street for some excellent Chinese street food. Interestingly, on this trip I had planned exceptionally well for any gastro difficulties that may arise with all sorts of pills and potions. However, our stomachs have been extremely fine (we are careful to drink bottled water), and we have all had varying degrees of the sniffles and pollution cough. Next time I am packing cold and flu tablets.

Granny eating...something...in Food Street in Wuhan

mmmmm banana pancakes

Yellow Crane tower in Wuhan. Tourist shot.

To pack in some more Chinese culture we stopped at the Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan's premier photo spot. Or lookout tower, depending what century you are in. I chose not to walk to the top. It is pretty high. But Deanne and I imagined the tasks that would be set here if the Yellow Crane Tower was on the Amazing Race. We have been pretending we are on the Amazing Race for some of the trip, and dividing up the tasks. Deanne is excellent at navigation, and I would eat most anything. We would take turns doing the height challenges, and cane the puzzle challenges. We have thought about it a bit....

view of Wuhan from Yellow Crane Tower

view from up the Yellow Crane Tower

Texting Girl Under Willows At Yellow Crane Tower. I bring you art.

In the afternoon we were picked up by a family I had met last time my family were here. They have twin girls with disabilities, and are struggling with what to do with them. The girls have moderate learning difficulties and mild cognitive difficulties, and do not fit into the Chinese education system. They stay at home with their mum and their little brother (who was allowed to be born under the one child policy because his sisters have a disability). We played some games with them, and talked about strategies for them to learn daily skills and improve language and learning. It was a good visit, but a bit frustrating. I am not sure of the availability of support for these students in China - I kept thinking - surely there are millions more children like this, and why are they not in school? As a thank you for our time Deanne and I were taken out to dinner by the family, who ordered a proper Chinese banquet. Everything was delicious, and everything was new to me. I felt blessed by them, and hope the girls are able to make a good life.