Okay so basically my excuse for not updating is: I've been busy and in the mountains. As you can see... that is completely true :) After our stay in Shijiazhuang, we only stayed 2 days in Beijing until we were off again for another cultural immersion camp, this time in the mountains. It was fun, it reminded me of Summer camp- a really humid, hot, hellish summer camp where we did English activities with the students there. It was a fun time, if you're curious about that please email me anytime :).
From there we went to a temple with 1,000 cats! haha almost though, I love cats... as you can see. And then after our lovely 100% humidity camp was over, we trekked a 5 hour bus ride to DaTong. I like Datong alot and to be quite honest I was so perfectly blessed to be put with an amazing kind and compassionate family here. My words cannot even meagerly describe the gratitude I have to them and their wonderful hospitality. Of course the first day I get there, they up and take me and a friend to the nearby YunGang Grottos where some 500 years ago Buddhas and wooden facades were built into and under the mountain. Literally these things were perfectly preserved, and not restored mind you. Ya some didn't have any faces or hands, but the fact that there was a living, breathing authenticity to it... made it soo much more special than some of the other attractions I've been to in China. I hope you can live in these pictures, because I couldn't believe I was. After they took us to a restaurant that I swear was from the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon!! It was amazing, all traditional, dark wood, little tea tables and staircases. It was so amazing that it made the grammar of my last 8 sentences HORRIBLE. Stop reading AND LOOK!
Janet Kaemmerling
8/7/2011 01:55:45 pm

Awesome pictures
- I can't describe the feeling I get looking at these Buddhas carved into the cave walls! I'm sure the ancient monks sat, facing these walls, and literally meditated for years, until Boddhiharma (Buddha) found them and taught them qi gong! I can just picture it - awesome, now I want to visit, too!

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Dad Bill
8/7/2011 02:06:25 pm

Jeff !

Absolutely beautiful areas !

I also see you found some Orange Tabbies that needed loving too Ha!

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C. Young
12/10/2011 03:22:12 pm

WOW!! I'm so jealous! This place is gorgeous. The landscape, the Buddhas, the architecture.

The cats were a bit weird. I know you said you love cats...but I don't get it. They're evil. PURE EVIL.

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3/21/2012 10:59:53 am

Good info dude

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7/13/2012 08:00:59 pm

Nice one info, thx

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