Greetings all...from hot and sunny Shenyang! Although, from what I've heard the heat here is nothing like the heat in the midwest US right now! I can't believe it's almost the end of July...wow, where did all the days of 2011 go? I think I'm sounding alot like my parents about now...and I can honestly say at this time in my life, that's a good thing! Rest in peace Ernest and Ruby Tollner...your children have turned out just fine!
Yesterday, we and about a bazillion other Chinese people went to the Water cave in Benxi, a small city (1.5 million people) southeast of Shenyang. It's main business is steel making and coal mining...but that's not why we went! Amongst all the coal and iron ore is alot of limestone and caves, one of which has a river running through it and they have designated a National Park around it. (Benxi Water Cave National Park) The river is said to be 3,000 meters long, 2 meters deep and the width varies depending on the location. Being underground, it's cool (that's the big draw in the summer time!) We must have arrived at peak time...a long line and lots of people squeezing in to occupy a seemingly empty space (that whole lack of personal space thing again). Just like the saying that "nature abhors a vacuum".. I think can can also be applied to Chinese people..it seems to me they can't stand an empty space..an don't think twice about jumping in front of you to fill it...and never make eye contact or say anything to you while doing it...enough of that little rant...sometimes it gets on our nerves! We have to remind ourselves..it's not our country, not our norms...and we don't have to enforce their rules!
Here are some pictures in and around the entrance of the water cave.
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| Sarah and few thousand of my Lioaning Province neighbors waiting to get into the cave at Benxi |
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| The actual line is between the chained posts...but the line area must just be a "suggestion"...which of course we followed, only to be overrun by people who just saw some empty spaces and jumped to the front of the line! |
To explore the cave, it's all about riding a boat in the river. There are alot of electric powered boats coming and going on the river...not really a liesurely stop and take photos type of ride...more of a "get 'em in and get 'em out type of ride", but relaxing all the same. They have several unique rock formations and stalactites and stalagmites all around, but of course, nothing you could really take a good picture of because the flash on the camera is not big enough to light up all that space, and there was no "photo" opportunities (or stops) once you got on the boat!...Get 'em in, get 'em out!
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| This coming toward the exit of the water cave |
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| Rod and Sarah standing at the entrance to the water cave |
After we got out of he cave and took our coats off, we walked around a little, and found a place that I think is one of the exits of this river above ground.
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| Waterfall at Benxi Water Cave National Park |
Then decided it was too hot, so we called it a day! Here are some shots we took on the way out of the park. It was nice to breath the fresh air!
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| Sarah Miller in front of the "National Park" sign in Chinese...this seal looks alot the US National Park seal to me! |
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| Sarah Miller in front of one of the lakes in Benxi National Park |
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| Rod in front of one of the lakes in Benxi National Park |
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That's about it for this week here in Shenyang! We're doing well...looking forward to my sister Patricia and her husband coming over and doing a river cruise together...more about that in a future update!
Sarah
Pat told me about your itinerary and it sounds fabulous. Please post lots of FB pictures!!! It sounds like that personal space thing is a blessing here in the US!
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