Week 2: B

BINGYU VALLEY: Yesterday, three of us took a long day trip to the Bingyu Valley (pictured above). This "oxygen-rich environment" (words from the promotional material) has lakes, towering cliffs and a waterfall or two. We think something historical happened here, but since our tour guide didn't speak any English, we were finding out information from a Japanese woman who understood Chinese pretty well who translated it into Dutch to her boyfriend who explained it to us. We were just happy when the bus didn't leave without us at the end of the day.

BEACH: Just a 30-minute walk from my apartment and a 10-minute walk from our school is Xian Park. It features a lovely seaside promenade (perfect to fare una passeggiata). It's not the biggest beach in Dalian and it doesn't have the expanse of sand that other beaches have, but it does have its own appeal. I went there one Monday morning and watched a group of senior citizens ballroom dancing while another group of senior citizens performed tai chi.

The little guy in this picture was wearing a shirt that said, "Guy Pratt Motors, Wichita, KS"

More evidence for my theory: Wherever you find water, you will find tacky souvenirs. Now, family, aren't you sad that I didn't get your name in the Christmas draw?

BUNGEE JUMP: Maybe, maybe if someone double-dog dared me I would do the bungee jump at the beach. We worry, however, that when they consider safety measures for these types of things they think, "In a country of 1.3 billion what's one or two lives lost plunging into the sea?"

BADMINTON: I love that the Asian news channel that we get on our satellite TV runs the badminton scores on the scroll at the bottom of the page. If you want to hear about the Japan Open results, just let me know. (Hint: a Chinese woman won.)