Visit to Zunyi (part 5)

Hiking in Zunyi, 

Guizhou Province, CHINA

We went hiking up Red Army Mountain, with Felix, (niece) Vivian, and Jin.

We had met some guys along the street, trying to get warm!

Notice the Communist Hammer-and-Sickle on the monument.

Red Army Mountain has monuments to the soldiers who died on "The Long March."

It was incredibly cold in Zunyi!  There was a layer of ice on everything!

A special nurse who cared for children on The Long March is honored here.  

**** I rubbed her knees, expecting (hoping) that now my own knees will become healed from arthritis........

We stopped to warm ourselves by the charcoal fire of a street-side vendor selling "stinky tofu."  Chris thought that the food was pretty good!

We hiked on to Phoenix Mountain, though Felix needed a piggy-back ride from his "Grandpa Chris."

Every single day of the year, Jin's mother makes the trek up to Phoenix Mountain to get drinking and cooking water from a natural spring. 

Vivian and Felix, fun kids!

Yes, Zunyi is quite a historical city.

And, it has some beautiful scenes.

We went to an amusement park where "Jin grew up."  It had carnival rides, and a place to feed pigeons.

Red Army Street 

is now full of touristy. little shops and food vendors.  At the end of this street is the site of Jin's childhood home.  There is also a Mao Zedong Museum, where we saw Chairman Mao's toothbrush, bedroom slippers, and other very personal effects.

Chris was invited to play a game of badminton with this local guy....on Red Army Street.

Jin's family

We had one last meal with Jin's family.  Thirteen people gathered around this portable card table, sitting on small plastic stools.  Each person held a small bowl in his hands, and then snagged food out of the serving bowls with chop-sticks.  My favorite food here was the home-made (by Jin's mother) vegetable dumplings, dipped in soy sauce.  Yummy!

We had a marvelous time with Jin and her family in Zunyi.  Thank you, sweet Jin!  (Felix is sucking on a candy.)