A New Adventure: The Grand Canyon

My sister Margey and her husband's family have a huge 4 bedroom house on the Colorado River in Bull Head City. It is near Laughlin, AZ. They invited us to stay at the place and then drive over to see the Grand Canyon and spend a night there. So we turned it into a huge family trip. Jay and Heidi, Dan and Katie, Tom, Margey, and Joey, and Beth. We caravanned in two cars for four hours. It was a fun 5 day adventure.

We spent two nights at the River and then drove 4 hours to the Grand Canyon. Oh, it was so pretty! Dan, Jay, Joey, and Heidi actually did some hiking while the rest of us walked along the South Rim. We  drove through there when the kids were 13 or so and while the Canyon is the same, the museums, shops, and eateries certainly have changed and been modernized.

It was really fun to hang with our grown kids. It made me really miss Brian and Patience though. I think it would have been great if Emma and Cayce had been able to join us too.

After the Grand Canyon we headed back to the River house for another day and a half for billiards, Hand and Foot cards, Dominoes, and sightseeing in Laughlin. It was too cold to go into the water and the family was having the dock rebuilt as it had broken down with weather and abuse. It was actually beautiful weather-just right after all the heat and humidity of the Far East.

One Last Stop

This is a HUGE marble fish and it will be delivered to the port in San Pedro (Orange County) in the next month or so. Actually, two of them will. One belongs the Pat and Carol Park and the other to the Pedersen's. I do not know what or where it will go, but it is pretty and pretty big. This was a Dan thing...I suggest Shore Management (Dan's company), but he thinks the house would be perfect. We shall see...

Big Buddha

During our last few hours of our time in Hong Kong we had a chance to go see the worlds largest Buddha. And it was HUGE. I managed to climb up 7 flights of stairs which was only about half way. Dan managed to go the whole way.

It was kind of a nice end to the trip. The entire trip was focused around Asian cultures and their strong belief in the Buddha. We saw massive statues in each of the countries we went. I will always associate  Buddha with incense, fruits, and gold.

This takes us to the end of our journey...except for the big fish! Catch the last entry next.

East vs. West-Toilets That Is

As if the food wasn't bad enough, now you have to find a decent toilet. Cleanliness standards aren't the same as in the US that is for sure. Here is a traveling tip: take your own toilet paper for sure and paper covers would be good too. I would say that a 8 out of 10 public toilets were so disgusting you were afraid to use them. I was really glad for all those Hepititus shots. The ones in hotels and most restaurants were fine, but hard to find when wandering the city.

So, in the Western toilets you can find signs like these posted on the inside of the stall door. It is a reminder to the Easterners NOT to hop up on top of the toilet seat to squat to do your business. Clearly, I would not be doing that! First of all, I could not hop that high, and second of all, who can squat and do business?  It was so shocking I just had to take a picture.

Now compare this to the Eastern toilet. There are two kinds. This one that is about 15 inches off the ground and there are ones that are about 2 inches off the ground. These are usually located near the far end of the row of stalls. See the ribbing on the sides? That is so that when you hop on you won't slip!
Can you say OMG!!

Again, bring your own toilet paper. If I was ever to go again, I would also throw in a wash rag to use as a towel as there is never anything to dry with. It is important to bring tons of hand sanitizer. I brought a lot of it and the other people in our group were happy to use it and I was happy to share.

One place, you had to even reach into the tank and pull the chain or it wouldn't flush.  So between the heat and humidity- and the nasty bathrooms, I would be hard pressed to go back. I have to keep reminding myself that we saw amazing things, met wonderful people, and experienced scenery like no other. It is a cultural difference and I can only wonder what they think when they visit us or other European countries. Guess I am just not that adventurous.

Chicken Head Anyone?

Dinner at a fine Chinese restaurant was not what we expected! Our friend Pat went to nibble on some of the chicken in the basket as it came around on the giant lazy susan at our table when he thought the piece of chicken was a bit bony. Then he took a better look. It is the chicken head!!

Do you see the beak, eye socket and cockle on the head? Once we figured it out we arranged it on a plate and took pictures. I could not eat after this. This was out first meal in Hong Kong and it would be my last. I almost threw up when I realized what it was. I could barely take this picture.

The rest of the meal was equally as nasty. You think well, wanton soup should be safe huh? NOT! The oddest tasting broth was served with the absolutely nastiest little mystery meat dumplings floating in it. The only edible thing was the white rice. I was not the only one who felt this way either. Mc Donalds was my next meal and I stuck with it until we ventured out to an Outback. Chinese food in Hong Kong is NOT Chinese food in San Diego. Can you say nightmares!