The British Museum is one of the word’s great museums. It is brimming with artifacts from ancient civilizations–from the Rosetta Stone to the Winged Bulls of Assyria and many, many relics inbetween. We devised a fun game, “pick an antiquities statue that looks like you.” We decided that I looked like Pharaoh Ramses II!

Our morning at the museum was interesting and mind challenging–so much to absorb. We could have spent much more time; however, we were heading to The Service of Evensong in midafternoon at St. Paul’s Cathedral. We stopped along the way at a pub that was serving the Sunday national meal of roast beef and roast chicken with Yorkshire pudding. Tasty, but the pudding is really a puff pastry with absolutely no pudding inside.

Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, St. Paul’s, is majestic, enormous, and beautiful. The dome is reminiscent of our nation’s capitol building. We enjoyed the pipe organ and vicar’s choir that provided music during the service. The echoes resonated throughout the nave. After service, Randy got busted for taking a picture–“We do not take pictures inside the cathedral.” “Whoops.” Being pious and having just finished worship in such a wondrous place, I warned Randy not to do it. It is obvious he did not listen to the sermon about being pure if we are to be salt and light for Jesus. Melisa justly put him in “time out.” 🙂

We enjoyed the British ambiance of walking along the Thames River and through Picadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square. The Square, flanked by the columned National Gallery, the Portait Gallery and high steepled pure white St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church and centered with the imposing column commemorating Admiral Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish navies in a battle off the Spanish coast, is a hubbub of activity close to the center of most sights and activities in London.  Tiring, we decided for a return to our hotel for the evening to pack and get ready for our trip to Southhampton in the morning. We took the tubes and marveled at the efficiency of the transportation system. Culturally and spiritually, it was a very British day. WEG

Friday, the day we left Houston for London, was a “chicken with its head cut off day.” There was much to do at our Montgomery home before our adventure could begin. The flight was uneventful, thankfully, except as we checked in at the British Air counter, the attendent informed us that tickets had literally just become available for an upgrade at 10% of the regular cost. We took them.

Saturday, in London, was a quiet day of recuperation from the flight. The weather is fantastic–73 degrees with a slight breeze. Randy and Melisa are traveling with us, and we walked the streets of the Chelsea area of London where our hotel is located. There is a major tube station near the hotel so that we can easily zip around London while we are here. What we didn’t know is that we are close to a major football (soccer) stadium where the Chelsea team plays, and it was game day! Excited crowds were everywhere and the hotel area brims with pubs and establishments that cater to the football crowd. We were amused when we saw the signs on “The Goose” pub that read, “Chelsea fans only–ID’s will be checked.”

We found a different pub that was very “English” and just like one would imagine a pub to be. We enjoyed fabulous fish and chips–Randy had a fantastic hamburger. The fish was humongous and fried in a perfect beer batter. The beers on tap were more than sufficient. It was a wonderful first meal and start to our adventure. WEG

We are at our Montgomery home, having brought much clothing from our Humble apartment, for the purpose of packing. Wayne is a basket case when it comes to packing, playing the “I don’t know how” game. Kathy is, as always, efficient and prepared.

There is much to do–errands to run, etc. on this last day before we depart for London and beyond. Wayne has worked hard to have everything at Lamb of God, Humble, where he serves as Interim Senior Pastor, in good condition while we are gone. We love the people in this wonderful Christian fellowship. Kathy has worked just as hard by his side.

So, while Wayne runs errands, Kathy packs and straightens the house for a long absence. It is, actually, a very exciting day. WEG

Kathy went to Tai Chi exercise one early morning on the deck of our river ship; I slept in! Kathy went to a lecture/demonstration of Chinese medicine, including acupuncture; I had a beer at the bar! Kathy went to a Chinese art class on snuff bottle painting; I walked the deck visiting with total strangers! Who do you think had more fun? We both went to the mahjong class to learn how to play this ancient Chinese domino game featuring Chinese symbols on each domino. Our Victoria Katarina Yangtze River cruise ship is comfortable, and the food, mostly buffet style, is plentiful and a nice blend of Chinese and American. Advertised as the only government rated five star cruise line plying the Yangtze River, we were pleased with the overall quality.

On this day we had the special treat of docking in Shibaozhai and taking the hike to the famous “Red Pagoda” in the city. China’s tallest ancient wooden structure, the Shibaozhai Pagoda, is a worship building combining Taoism and Buddhism. It is a weathered red color with a beautiful yellow entrance with wonderful carvings. Twelve stories tall, nine of them wooden, the pagoda sits proudly against a rock monolif on what is now an island. The island was formed because the Three Gorges Dam backed up the Yangtze River, and the pagoda would have been flooded. However, because of the historical significance of the pagoda, the government built a mini-dam around the structure, causing the island to appear. In order to access the island, a new swinging bridge was built from the mainland. About 600 feet long, the bridge’s wooden planks rippled and bounced as we walked across.

On the way back to the river ship, we enjoyed shopping at the market that lined the streets. A canopy of trees and fine Chinese entry gate were pleasant additions to the walk on a temperate but muggy day. WEG

The Three Gorges are one of China’s iconic geographic wonders and the main reason people take a cruise on the Yangtze River. Each of the gorges features towering forested peaks on both sides of the river. The mountains are close together causing the river to dramatically narrow. Steep rock cliffs mingle with deep green ravines that fall into the river. As we journeyed the gorges, mists swirled in the air and low clouds drifted amongst the mountain peaks. It was an ethereal experience.

At one point, our river cruise ship docked and we boarded a ferry boat for a ride on one of the Yangtze River’s 700 tributaries, the Shennong Stream. It was an adventure into an even narrower river experience. The scenery was dramatic, even though the ride was interspersed with rain. Along the way, high above us, we saw hanging coffins in natural cavities in the limestone cliffs. Placed there by the native tribe as a burial ritual for their dead, the coffins literally hung from the ceilings of the cavities. All we could do was observe them and wonder how they accessed such a steep place on a sheer cliff in the first place.

Back on our river cruise ship, we sat back and enjoyed the ride and the people who were with us on our China tour. WEG

Saturday was a travel day into the interior of China. First, we flew for two hours on a China East airline from Shanghai to Wuhan, whereupon we boarded a bus and traveled another six hours until we reached our river cruise ship, the Victoria Katrina, in Maoping. After a quick night of sleep, we arose to eat breakfast and depart on a tour of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. The largest dam and water conservation project in the world, the Three Gorges Dam took seventeen years to construct. The main purpose of the construction was to control the river of the severe flooding with its corresponding loss of life that had occurred throughout the centuries on this third longest river in the world that has over 700 tributaries. Next, the river is a source of hydroelectric power, providing three percent of China’s power for its nation of 1.4 billion people. Since the dam would hold back a huge volume of water and thus raise the level of the river, the government, which owns all property in the nation, relocated millions of people to new cities created above the new water levels. The Chinese are naturally proud of this marvelous feat of engineering.

In the afternoon we visited the Tribe of the Three Gorges in the Xiling Gorge. The tranquil and serene setting that was attained via foot featured a crystal clear river/stream and a beautiful waterfall surrounded by towering forest-covered hills. Old water mills and wooden fishing boats intermingled with intricately carved wooden buildings. People in colorful clothing representative of the local tribe were interspersed along the pathway, some singing, some playing Chinese musical instruments. It was a 2 1/2 mile walk, but the weather was pleasant and we were mesmerized by the beauty as we learned about the culture and customs of the indigenous Tujia people. Arriving back at the cruise boat, we enjoyed a good Chinese dinner. Too tired, Kathy and I skipped the captain’s reception and evening entertainment and went to sleep in our small but comfortable suite. WEG

Today was an exciting day for us because we were going to be able to visit with Kourtnie, a young lady we have known from her childhood. The morning was first spent taking a ride on the world’s only magnetic levitated train (no wheels-it rides on air) where we reached a top speed on 264 mph. Later, we visited a silk worm exhibition center to see the production of this fiber from beginning to end. The Chinese lead the world in silk production and already, in ancient times, cultivated a special mulberry tree with larger leaves and no fruit that gave them an edge in both quantity and quality in their silk products. Later, we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Center to learn of the vision for this city that is the site of the largest building program in world history. (To get to this part of the city, our tour bus needed to climb a multi-lane spiral highway to reach a massive bridge over a river that cuts through the city.) We then went to the Chinese Cultural Museum where we were to also meet Kourtnie.

Our time with Kourtnie was blessed. We eagerly heard of her ministry with children with disabilities. These are “throw away” children. Because of the strict and enforced family planning in China, a high value is placed on having “perfect” children, and kids with disabilities are often not acceptable, and thus handicapped children are left in dumpsters or abandoned in parks, etc. Kourtnie and the ministry with which she is associated take in these children and, with great sacrifice, take care of them and raise them. There is no hope for adoption. Amazingly, the children are being raised to speak three languages so that they can get a job later in translation or in the service sector, i.e., hotel industry where knowledge of English is highly prized and rarely available. Thank God for people like Kourtnie! We had a delightful time eating an extended and somewhat late lunch and walking in the expansive and beautiful park at People’s Square. We were surrounded with tranquility, beautiful flowers, stands of bamboo and lily pad-covered ponds as we meandered a beautifully tiled walkway. High above us, however, were skyscrapers with amazing architecture. Kourtnie took us back to our hotel on the spotlessly clean subway, after which we said farewell. Oh, yes, we delivered gifts to Kourtnie from her parents. She was a happy girl. WEG

Over the past fifteen years, Shanghai has grown from six million people to 27 million people. To accommodate this growth, the city was totally planned down to the last apartment building. It is awesome! Huge green spaces and beautiful parks with amazing flower plantings frequently dot the landscape. The architecture is creative and modern. We drove for miles amongst 30-50 story apartment buildings with taller skyscrapers forming town centers here and there. It truly is impossible to overemphasize the efficiency of transportation, the distribution of green space, the eye-catching architecture amidst the immense space of this city transversed with rivers and streams. There is nothing cookie cutter in Shanghai.

We spent time at the Hu Gardens—the ancient city home of a wealthy merchant. It is a fine place with many separate and traditional Chinese rooms scattered among the streams and ponds with native vegetation that make this a garden. One quite interesting item on display is one of the most valuable rocks ever discovered. The emperor at the time gambled his kingdom on purchasing the rock, only to have it lost in a storm at sea as it was being brought to land. He spent a fortune having the area searched, but the rock was lost. It was found much later and brought to the Hu Gardens. The rock is a quite large limestone with 74 holes, but each hole is connected individually on the inside so that when water is poured on the top, it follows the interior channel to each hole (one at a time) until it flows out at the bottom. No other such rock is known to exist.

We visited the trendy French Concession with its galleries, boutiques and restaurants set in tree-shaded colonial Shanghai. Across the river, the Pearl Tower, Shanghai’s iconic skyscraper/tower vied for attention with the “beer bottle opener tower,” with its square topped opening at the top, and the 120 story spiraling Shanghai Tower. The “beer bottle opener tower” was designed by a Japanese architect with a round opening, but when it was discovered that the sun streaming through the opening caused a reflection that closely resembled the Japanese flag, the architect was fired and the circle became a square.

After another dim sum dinner, with way more food than was possible to eat, we went to the amazing acrobat arena for a show. Wow! I marveled at the acrobat who balanced on five layers of boards, each layer sitting atop a roller, all the while placing saucers and cups on one foot, only to toss them in the air and catch them on the top of his head. Higher and higher the stack grew. Kathy screamed so loudly when an acrobat on a very high ferris wheel with spinning circular wheels lost his balance at the highest point, that hundreds of people diverted their attention from the acrobat to her, missing the acrobat’s recovery. The theater was built specifically for these world famous acrobats, and the acts were accompanied with laser and light shows and live Chinese instrumentation with a wonderful vocalist. The concluding act with eight lighted motorcycles driving at breakneck speed inside a sphere in synchronized patterns was indeed a showstopper. We were exhausted but fulfilled as the day came to a close. WEG