Executive Director at the Sun Gallery in Hayward, Ca. Founder and project creator of "The Art of Cli...

1. Minnetonka Twin On HubPages
Executive Director at the Sun Gallery in Hayward, Ca. Founder and project creator of "The Art of
Climate Change", a socially interactive public education project through art and mixed media.
Thursdaysd - Once again, thanks so much for your kind words! I fear that I've been (and will
continue to be) far too long-winded, so I appreciate hearing that you are enjoying my report. And let
me be clear - I managed to learn very little Mandarin, really just the pleasantries and some basic
words and phrases. A friend had lent me her Pimsleur CDs and several friends who have lived in
China were kind enough to help me with some words. The biggest benefit was probably not any
actual ability to communicate, but rather my hope that people would know that I had at least made
an effort to try to do so.
The hotel kitchen that is open latest - the one for their lounge - had just closed. I hadn't eaten at all
that day, and had only had small meal the night before, so I was hungry! I asked the staff at the desk
if they knew where I could get something to eat, and was immediately ushered into the lounge and
given a menu. I tried to find the thing that would be easiest for them, and so ordered the only
Western food I ate during my time in China - a ham and cheese sandwich. The menu said grilled,”
but I tried to tell them that I would be happy if they served it cold. It seems that my effort was
unsuccessful - I was soon presented with a delicious and perfectly grilled sandwich. They must have
had to fire up the grill again! How accommodating!
We are off to China for the month of October (4 weeks in total) and like you are doing it totally on
our own. Your report covers several areas we have also planned to see (Datong, Pingyao, Xian and
Beijing). I am truly enjoying your report and learning lots! Thanks for posting and providing such
entertaining details.
It's not really a question of a 'full day'. The sights around Datong are too widely spread to make
seeing them all in one day feasible, unless perhaps pointlessly brief visits are made, and not with any
chance of seeing the ancient temples in the city itself, too. The Yungang Caves can be reached by
ordinary public bus, by the way, although obviously a taxi is better if you're in a rush. The CITS one-
day tours are caves and temple or caves and pagoda, and convenient so long as you don't shop.