What a great way to spend our last weekend in Wuhan, China! On both Friday and Saturday, the host families hosted everyone for dinner. We had a crab feast on Friday and a full spread of seafood & meat on Saturday. Both families came together, much similar to how families gather in Hawaii. There was some liquors as is customary for the adults to have either wine or beer at dinner. On behalf of Ms. Frank, Justin and Stevenson, we truly do appreciate the warm and wonderful hospitality given to use by both families. The great part was THAT WAS NOT THE END OF THE GREAT WEEKEND!!!
On Sunday, the host families did a spectacular job again of showing us wonderful hospitality. The families took us to see the Shuangmian Guanshiyin Pusa statue. Avalokitesvara, the name of the statue, is revered by people praying for various things. She is meant to face east and west as she shines with both the moon and the sun forever. The Guanyin Complex has various components. This Buddhist temple still houses the monks and as seen in one of the photos, hosts the Hall of the Monks. The Hall of the Monks houses over 500 statues of monks who are watching down on the people who walk through its halls. By picking a starting point and counting your age, people can find out who their protective monk is. Once they receive the number, you can get a card to place in your wallet for prosperity. The Guanyin complex was very beautiful and filled with many prayers for hope.
Next on our tour, the host families FILLED US UP with food from Hubu Alley. We had the traditional hot/dry noodles, famous in Wuhan. Then we ventured to eat Lamb, Noodles, Stinky Tofu, Potatoes, Fried Ice Cream, Fried Banana, and to top it off FROG. The alley is filled with various food vendors and has many types of finger food. This was a great experience for us all.
After having a fest at Hubu Alley, we climbed up the nearly 300 steps to get to the top of the Yellow Crane Tower. Sitting on top of Snake Hill, the Yellow Crane Tower to the focal point of Wuhan. The views are spectacular! With buildings upon more buildings all you can think about is how HUGE Wuhan is, compared to Honolulu. The views were great and we got to burn off some of the food we had eaten ha ha.
Our last stop before heading back to Changqing Gardens was to watch Catching Fire: The Hunger Games. THANK GOD it was in English with Chinese subtitles. The movie was great. After the movie we went to dinner, Justin is dying now to watch the Hunger Games 1, and we are all stuffed as can be ready to start a new week. Thanks again to the host families for such a wonderful weekend.