Qiandao Lake

Yesterday we were picked up at 8 am to set out for Qiandao Lake. It is very close to Principal Xu's assistant, Peng Fei's, hometown so he was very anxious to show off it's beauty. He also named the local beer - Cheerday, that even I have been drinking. Not only am I starting to drink beer in my ripe old age, but I can campe (chug it down) which is a HUGE part of ritual at Chinese dinners. To be polite or to be sober is the issue that we are faced with each day! Once I realized I was eating a duck head and had taken a large portion of something that was NOT lotus roots, it became a campe day!



Qiandao Lake was created in 1959 when the government wanted to create a massive hydroelectric plant to provide electricity to the population. Many villages were relocated and the land was flooded. It is called the Lake of 1000 islands because the many mountain tops are still visible. It is absolutely gorgeous. Many of the islands are for sale and being purchased to create 5 star accommodation or country homes. There are several beautiful hotels and several large pleasure boats in the water.



We walked over a large floating bridge to get to one of the islands. We took a ferry to an amazingly luxurious and practically empty hotel. Then the finale was a motor boat ride where Peng Fei tried to get the driver to go fast enough to create a little thrill and excitement.



We stopped for a very much desired coffee on the way home. After a few weeks of green tea, as Kathy (Steve's wife) clearly told me before leaving - the Nescafe instant brand tastes REALLY good. Who knew! You're right, Kathy. At our very smoky cafe, the big excitement was the arrival of Steve's coffee - complete with a raw egg floating on the top. It made the lattes made with evaported milk look darn good!