The breakfast bar at the Dolton Hotel is wonderful. Lots of good food. This is a picture of my second plate this morning (steamed dumpling, bacon, potsticker, fried rice with loads of pickled pepper slices, boiled peanuts, and braised mystery green leafy veggie).
We visited the Hunan Provincial Museum. It displayed the materials found during excavation of two burial pits back in the 1970s. These included bronze artifacts (pots/weapons/dishes/figurines) from 1000+ BC, as well as a "mummy". The mummy was a noblewoman buried in (I think) 168 BC. Her body was preserved in an alcohol/vinegar solution, sealed in lacquered wood caskets. The caskets were placed inside each other, buried inside a wooden vault (HUGE slabs of wood, 8-12" thick, 15-20 feet long MASSIVE). The vault was covered with packed clay and charcoal, then earth. All this served to preserve her so well that Chinese doctors were able to dissect her body (various parts are on display in the museum). Sort of yucky, but still amazing. No pictures were allowed in the museum. Many of the wood & silk artifacts were displayed under subdued lighting, in a humidity controlled environment. I saw what seemed to be oxygen absorbing packets inside many of the display cases.
When we got back to the hotel, Dyanne & Zoe tried out the pool (massive crying fest from Miss Zoe).
I, along with a couple other guys, took a walk around the hotel, trying to get a feel for the world outside out 5 star Dolton Hotel. I'm SO glad that we took that walk (though it was pretty hot outside).
Here's some pictures from our walkabout:
Not sure if this is Kudzu, but I've seen the purple blossomed stuff growing here in China, just like down south.
T-Rex???
Ambulance
Turtles for sale in big aquariums visible to the street, along with frogs, crabs, fish, and some other critters.
Is it a Van, or is it a truck? Note the single front wheel.
Bike Cart
Street Sweeper
Do you see any chocolate in this picture? Am I missing something?
Fruit....As beautiful as a Coral Snake. Remember, one bite and you're in deep doo-doo (runny doo-doo that is).
Continue to Page 2 of Changsha "Walkaround" Photos
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Jeff Johnson
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