Botanic Bleu Market

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China - Everyday Scenes Seen on Vacation

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Travel ~ 
the great way to discover how much alike, 
yet different, we all are. 

The world is a book and those who do not travel 
read only one page. 
St. Augustine 

Mothers all over the world, including in 
China, 
prepare meals for their families using 
ingredients found in their home-grown vegetable gardens. 


With pots of bamboo in the background of this open air 
preparation table, 
Squash Blossom Soup 
was on the menu for supper that evening.


While Mom prepared dinner, 
her little girl was kept nearby and safe in a rustic, home-made playpen/stroller.  


Look at those adorable ruffles on her pants and sleeves! 

China has always been an exotic, far away place to me. 
A place on my great unwritten list of dream places to see. 

As is the case most often to places I travel, 
I did not even realize all the beauty 
to be seen.  


The Guilin, China area known for its unusual mountain formations 
rising above the Li River 
inspired the other-worldly hanging mountains landscape of Avatar. 


Bamboo rafts powered by pushing long poles into the riverbed 
transport both western tourists and 
Chinese people on vacation down the Li River.

We were sights to see for the Chinese who asked 
us everywhere to practice English with them and asked to have 
their pictures taken with us. 

Growing up during the Cold War, 
China was a foreboding, scary country 
to the western world. 

Yet, the Chinese people go about their daily lives 
doing all the things we do, 
just differently. 


Transporting goods within the Imperial Palace grounds 
is like moving materials between buildings where we work...  
Just in a more beautiful setting with an older mode of transportation. 


Finding a parking place for her vehicle as she arrives at her workplace... 


Working with a water buffalo is somewhat like working with 
a reluctant co-worker who sometimes needs to be cajoled into doing his part. 


Baskets are used world-wide.  For what these two are used is not clear to me, 
but it is not always clear for what purpose baskets serve in my house. 
They just look good in the room. 
These two look absolutely fantastic on the river bank. 


Everything needs sweeping now and then. 


This is a serious broom that needs a police cone to warn others it's in use. 
Yes, I have seen cones in our country warning others of road equipment in use and
 warning of workers on the road. 


Hard at work, cleaning the highway. 
Highway crews clean our streets with shovels when they finish a job. 
Hmmm...does anyone clean our streets after that?


Farmers grow grain crops here at home. 
The Chinese grow rice in small family plots about three acres in size per family. 


A selection of work hats found at the local street market...


Beautiful flowers for decorating Chinese homes...


Do you suppose the Chinese have a Trader Joe's? 
Or perhaps it would be called Trader Lee's? 


Beautiful flowers that inspire...  


Baskets of seed pods for sale at the local street market...
Maybe this is Trader Lee's place...


A beautiful sink in a hotel room was inspired by lotus plants. 


This was the water source for the mom making Squash Blossom Soup. 


Fighting traffic at the end of a long workday... 
~~~~~~~~~~
We are all alike. 
 Living, loving, working, worshipping.
If the world is a book, perhaps there is only one page of content, 
with all the other pages translations of that page. 
Judith Stringham
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
My blogiversary Give-Away is 
going on through Sept. 2, 2013. 
If you would like to win a ceramic message board, 
see how to enter at the link below.
Blogiversary Give-Away
Some lucky reader is going to win
the fleur-de-lis decorated board
just in time to write fall messages.
~~~~~~~~~~