The weather is beautiful here in Dongchuan, but unfortunately that doesn’t make for the best pictures. Whereas the rice terraces of Laohuzui were constantly changing and sun was hard to find, here things are static and each morning the sun consistently unfolds in a straight line across everything the eye can see. We were hoping to be here long enough to have a chance at stormy weather or at least rain clouds so as to make things more vibrant and provide ample lighting interest, but maybe next November!

One evening I discovered that my laptop felt fuzzy to the touch. Turns out that the electrical grid here is unstable and I was just being electrified. That three prong adapter won’t help in any event – one look at the electrical “panel” outside this building will tell you why.

Upon first arrival, we were not too excited about Dongchuan… a cold little room, no heater, no sun, the little eatery run by the hotel has a huge poster plastered on the wall with a “C-” rating (the worst rating by Chinese government). But, after a short walk, we found another more suitable hotel. Our host cooks for us each night and has an impressive range of styles and flavors. Yes, the local manner of cooking a chicken is to hack it into pieces, bone and all (remember Bali), but he has accommodated my request for other dishes with beef and tofu that do not require as much adventure for the weak foreigner.

There are puppies here for the kids to play with. I am presently teaching Kai and Heidi to write well – cursive for Kai, print for Heidi (they each were given a fancy journal just like dads at the start of the journey). Kids have mostly switched to Chinese speaking with the occasional reminder.