Planning My Trip to China

Friday, May 30, 2008--Tagbilaran, Bohol (Continued)

Since I was so lazy today, I decided to spend my time in my room working on a project that I needed to tackle. I pulled out my parts of my Chinese travel guide that I brought and worked on developing an itinerary I will follow when traveling there next month (beginning June 9). It took a long time, but finally a plan developed. Here is a list of the places I will visit listed in the sequence I plan to be there and using spellings without the special accent marks that are often used with the Chinese names when written in western script:

Beijing
Datong
Taiyuan
Pingyao
Hancheng (Side trip to Dajiudian)
Xi'an
Guangyuan (Transfer Point only)
Langzhong (If it wasn't destroyed by the earthquake which it may have been)
Chengdu
Leshan
Chonquing
Yangse River Trip through Three Gorges
Yichang
Jishou (Outing to Dehang)
Fenghuang
Hiaihua (Outing to Hongjiang Old Town)
Kunming
Lijiang
Dali
Kunming (Again for flying out)

If you want an idea about any or all of those places, just do a search on Google. Look at the top of your search result to see if Google wants you to search under a suggested alternative spelling. And don't forget that you can also go to Google Images to see photos that have been tagged with those spellings.

I went out for dinner at a restaurant run by the deaf. They had their own bakery and included lasagna with garlic bread on their menu, so I ordered that. It was good, but the sauce was a bit sweet. Afterwards, I had a cinnamon roll they had made there in their bakery.

One interesting thing to mention about the Philippines is that at 17:55 each day, there is a prayer said over television and radio. When it's said, everything stops as if there has been a moment of silence declared. I first noticed it when the waitress bringing a menu to my table a few days ago paused in the middle of the restaurant. Then yesterday, I was at the supermarket buying some water when it came on. Everyone in the whole store stopped and stood still as if they were playing the children's game where a code is used and everyone is supposed to go into stop-action. After the prayer ended, movement began immediately.

Saturday, May 31, 2008--Tagbilaran, Bohol to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

I awoke earlier than planned. I decided to go ahead and get up. But it was too early for the hot water to be on yet for the shower!! I decided to delay bathing and shaving until my arrival in Dumaguete.

I went downstairs to pay and check out. I gave them 4,500 pesos to pay the 4,250 bill, and they didn't have any change!! Can you believe that a business doesn't keep $6 worth of change?!! That's so typical in these 3rd world countries, though. I had to take back a 500 bill and give them my smaller bills. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened at that hour (about 6:45 a.m.).

I walked to the port. Got there in plenty of time. Then our boat was late by 30 minutes. But there were a group of blind masseurs who work there at the ferry terminal and at a massage parlor in town singing songs and playing guitars to entertain us. It was nice.

The ferry was full. A lady beside me had been on another boat in the evening headed for the province of Mindanao. Its engine had gone out, and they had to be towed back to Cebu. She arrived where she left about the time she expected to be home. Then she caught my boat coming from Cebu and continuing to Mindanao after the stop in Dumaguete. She was tired and still had a couple of hours or more of traveling when I left.

Well, the hotel here did not have my reservation when I arrived. Fortunately, however, they had a room (but only a double for which I have to pay the double price which is 200 more pesos per night than the single price). It's a nice room, however. Every clean. Very modern. Everything new. I am enjoying it.

Dumaguete is a university town--home of Silliman University. It has a very nice campus which I have already walked through. The buildings are all painted in a cream color with a rusty brown trim and rusty brown brick. There are lots of restaurants, cyber cafes, etc., that cater to the students. The town also has a nice, long promenade along the waterfront. The street there has many restaurants, too. It will be nice relaxing here and exploring, I think.