No matter where we go, we stand out like a sore thumb. Not because, Don is tall or because there are no “Indians” here - it is because we are OLD. It looks like only young people in China are on the move. Our young friend, Gloria, says, “ Old people like you do not travel around in China.” (She is such an honest person. :-)
Stairs to old opera house
Line for the ferry (no such thing as non crowded place in China)
We took the early Ferry to get here, which is only 5 minutes away from Xiamen. We missed the first ferry because some of us just wait till the last minute and count on rushing in. In China there is no such thing as “non-crowded” place. Hopefully, we will learn. (This was not a big deal).
Little bit of history: This island is special because of its location. Before the 1800’s, every nation tried to get in, but China defended itself. But after the Opium war in the 1840’s, the British took over the island and then every European country had a foothold. It was the gateway to the wonderland of China. One interesting fact: the British used Indian (Sikh) force to rule the island for many years. During the Japanese war, the island was controlled by Japan and finally China took it back.
Today, it is a one of the #1 scenic destinations for local Chinese tourists, looking for traffic free, quiet, and pollution free places. Greenie’s childhood friend showed us around. I am posting some of the key photos. This is a beautiful place, an ideal place for growing up, but is overrun by tourists nowadays. At night when all the day-trippers are gone, the place is quiet and charming with colonial buildings, gardens and narrow alleys with no traffic. :-)
We took the early Ferry to get here, which is only 5 minutes away from Xiamen. We missed the first ferry because some of us just wait till the last minute and count on rushing in. In China there is no such thing as “non-crowded” place. Hopefully, we will learn. (This was not a big deal).
Little bit of history: This island is special because of its location. Before the 1800’s, every nation tried to get in, but China defended itself. But after the Opium war in the 1840’s, the British took over the island and then every European country had a foothold. It was the gateway to the wonderland of China. One interesting fact: the British used Indian (Sikh) force to rule the island for many years. During the Japanese war, the island was controlled by Japan and finally China took it back.
Today, it is a one of the #1 scenic destinations for local Chinese tourists, looking for traffic free, quiet, and pollution free places. Greenie’s childhood friend showed us around. I am posting some of the key photos. This is a beautiful place, an ideal place for growing up, but is overrun by tourists nowadays. At night when all the day-trippers are gone, the place is quiet and charming with colonial buildings, gardens and narrow alleys with no traffic. :-)
House where Greenie was born
Five different churches (made during European occupation)
Greenie's neighborhood in old colonial home
Japanese Embassy
Old homes
The island
We are planning to get up at 5am to do some hiking before it gets too hot, (93 degrees with 80% humidity), so good night for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment