China!

I just got back from China! What a trip! It began with my trusty walking shoes literally falling apart at the airport. I finally found a small store that had whimpy sneakers. No arch support or grip soles. No time to shop either. The trip was everything I could have imagined. We saw everything I had on my list and then some! I fell into bed exhausted every night. We began with the Great Wall and Summer Palace day one and Ti'a namen Square and the Forbidden City Day two. That set the pace! Twelve course Chinese lunches and dinners and buffet breakfasts with choice of whatever we wanted Western or Chinese. My feet hurt and one leg was killing me as all surfaces were stone pretty much and the shoes were not helping me at all. On day 5 or 6, I've lost track, we were in a picturesque mountain village painting when the rain came. We folded shop and hiked a distance to the village and restrauant where lunch awaited. On the way back, I stepped on a wet, slick spot and found myself nose first on the stone road. The rest of the trip I looked like a "botox gone bad" treatment with a bandaid mustache. Thanks to having two doctors, two pharmasists and a nurse in the group, I got cleaned up and everyone said how much better I looked every day. They were a big help carrying things and watching out that I didn't trip. I really felt stupid though. China was great! Beautiful scenery and friendly but rather agressive people. If we had their population,we might be too. No potable water although we were well supplied daily with bottled water and if you don't squat well forget the public toilets! I've never been on an art workshop where we did so much and everyone bonded like this one. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!!