Day 243 – North DaMing Lake

My classes went well today.  The students were very kind.  We had to change classrooms because the computer in the room where my second class today meets was not working and I wanted to make sure they could see the rest of the movie.  Someone picked up the chair that they have designated as my chair to I can use it when I teach and brought it to the new room.  All my classes know about this chair so they make sure it is in my classrooms now.

After lunch, I made a crust for a banana cream pie and laid down for a short rest.  It wasn’t as long as I would have liked, but David had made plans with a student, Guo Hao, that he had edited a paper for, to go to ride the boat that goes around the moat of the old city of Jinan.  We met him at the north gate of campus and rode bus 122 to the north entrance of DaMing Lake.  We walked around and saw parts of the lake area.  There were some beautiful flowers.  All the time, we kept wondering where the boats were that we could ride on the moat.

Bridge and pagoda at DaMing Lake.

We did find some boats, but one was a ferry that takes you from one side of the lake to the other.  Another kind of boat were small, six passenger boats that you could rent for 80 RMB ($13 US) for an hour.  I was so tired at this point that I didn’t care what we rode it, I needed to get off my feet and put my leg up.  We thought this was going to be something easy that I could do after being out of the hospital for four days.  It turned into something way too big for me.

The boat ride was nice and relaxing.  There are several small islands in the lake and lots of flowers to see all around.  I was able to find a way to put my leg up so I felt a little better.  Then I really wanted to just get home, but Gou Hao seemed to not understand that I was exhausted at this point and I still had to get to the bus, and then from the bus to our apartment.  We did get back, but I was worn out. 

 

They tie red ribbons on the tree to make wishes and for good luck.

This bell was build in the 1200's.  It weighs over 8 tons.

If you hit the little bell in the center of the ring, it will start the fountain in the back.  It is also supposed to bring you good luck.  A booth near by makes a fortune, I think, selling the discs that you can throw there.

I think they are getting ready for a celebration.

I quickly finished the pie and then sat down until the Clarke’s got here.  The Clarke’s, Pace’s and we decided to go out for dinner tonight.  We walked to Lydia’s, the Italian restaurant, and had a nice dinner.  Then we came back here and had the banana cream pie I had made earlier.  They stayed and visited until they had to catch the bus home.

When we told Guo Hao that we wanted to rent one of these boats, he said he didn't know how to drive it.  David assured him that he would be able to, so we rented it.  It was pretty easy to drive.  Didn't go very fast, but it was still fun.

The flowers were so pretty, and the building was so perfectly placed.

I think they try to keep flowers blooming somewhere along the lake shore all year long.

We saw this water bird perched in the tree.  There are actually three there, but I think I only got the one.

We love the bridges.

This building was on an island that had places where you could pull up to it, but when you go there, they all said, "No boat parking."  I wasn't sure I wanted to get out anyway.