by Lisa
Ni Hao (hello in Chinese)!!!
I am back from China. Admit it. You all missed me. I was able to go to the business office in each hotel we stayed in to make sure Bill was keeping you entertained on the blog. Please send him Jordan Almonds for me.
My trip went great. The first day. Okay, halfway through the first day. That’s when I got sick. Violently sick. In the Shanghai Museum. I can’t tell you a thing about their Chinese antiquities, but I can tell you a lot about their bathroom facilities. There are three stalls per floor. The toilet handles twist. They actually provide you with toilet paper there (thank GOD). And a waste basket to throw the used paper in. All of China wants you to dispose of used toilet paper that way since their sewage system is antiquated. I’m thinking I might have come close to bringing all of Shanghai down those first few days that I was sick since I was in no mood to play that game. But that’s too much information.
After I recovered, it was a very interesting trip. I am now coming down with a cold that I got on the flight home from one of the ten people immediately surrounding me hacking and sneezing for twelve hours, so I will cut this short today, but I got lots of great pictures that I will be sharing on the blog over the next few weeks. I will be painting from the best ones so don’t expect to see those. And don’t tell Bill I’m working from photos. You know how he is about that. Such a stickler.
The above is a picture of me and some Jackie Chan clones. Literally, that is what they say they want to be when they finish the Kong Fu school we visited (and they spell it ‘Kong’ instead of ‘Kung’ although that could be another wonderful case of ‘Chinglish’ which I got really into there). They gave us an awesome private performance. That one that I am leaning against is on his way to Hollywood. Speaks English, is personable and cute as a button.
*sneezes*
On Painting 
Heck, Lisa, I knew YOU knew how to take a good photograph. But how did you get someone else to take such a well-organized, funny, interesting one? Also, you sure did find handsome examples of Chinamen.
I’m looking forward to more of your China pictures.
I’m just good, 100swallows. I was going to actually have them lift me up in a reclining diamonds-are-a-girls-best-friend position, but they take that Kong Fu stuff very seriously. This was the best I could do.
OMG, You’re alive!! Thank you for coming back! Now let’s see the work from those pics? My Dad was very sick in Hong Kong and it was hotter than Phoenix there.
Rebecca, you can pronounce me alive when I am over this ebola virus I have now…
Wow…. Sorry you got so sick… and are sick again…
I have to say that you look GREAT in the photo…
So… WHY did you go to China… did you go because you’ve always wanted to see it… on a painting trip of some kind….. on one of those trips with kids (its own kind of horror)…. as an amabassador…. WHY… inquiring minds want to know.
I’ve actually always wanted to go to China but so far haven’t done it.
What you have now at least can’t be the swine flu… that’s from Mexico…not China…
I DID miss you…. and I was entertained by Bill (as always).
Yeah, two viruses in two weeks. I haven’t had a virus in two years before this. Sucks.
I went for FUN!!!! Just to see China with my momma. Took some watercolor supplies but did not have one single opportunity to paint. Ha! They keep you busy every minute on those tours. Unless you’re puking. Then they cut you some slack.
PS – If you go to China, DEFINITELY go with a tour group. Unless you learn Chinese first. TRUST ME on that.
Lisa, very glad you are back home safe and sound. Sounds like a rough start to a trip – but maybe you can do a series of Chinese toilet paintings and sell them for tons to new collectors who are coming over from China and buying up all the foreclosed properties? You could make wonderful abstracts from just such things! ha ha
I like the way you think Rhonda. In fact, if I had thought of that, I could have stolen some toilet paper to do the paintings on!!!
Glad you’re feeling better.
He IS cute.