Where's Wilderness: Our Cross Country Drive: Xian Farm Community: Dragon Dance

May 6, Thursday, Xian Farm Community

Start the day getting our bags packed again and outside the door: we're flying to Shanghai today, then down to the lobby for another huge spread of choices in our buffet breakfast, then onto the bus to head for a farming community. While we're still in downtown Xian, I'm reminded that this is a weekday and the morning traffic is rather chaotic: I'm glad that *I* am not trying to drive a bus here

but I'm again reminded of "the Asian way of driving" - the cooperative method where "everybody just finds a way to flow together WITHOUT honking and cursing and flipping others off". RULES, per se, aren't the guide. This is a case where "can't we all just get along" really *does* work - if everybody cooperates and pays attention to their fellow drivers.

Kathy looks out the window and notices a couple of women doing their morning exercises in the plaza in front of a business.

We see people exercising everywhere in China: people doing their Tai Chi or yoga - right out on the streets. Perhaps these women work in one of these buildings. Perhaps they just enjoy the large open space.

Finally we clear the city traffic and the scenery changes back to the green farmland. We transition back to a 2-lane road and suddenly the bus screeches to a halt: our guide for the day is sitting beside the road waiting for us - in an unexpected spot. He directs the bus driver to use "the back entrance" to the farm community we'll be visiting. The fields around us are *packed* with green wheat - soaking up the warm sun. Just beautiful.

We bounce over the road and pull to a stop and pile out onto the street

as we follow our guides down to... whatever they have planned for us.

Another reminder of "the blending of old and new": I notice that our Xian guide, Jing, has on an IZOD shirt and logo - as we walk down the street of this farming village which seems totally removed from the modern world.

We troop into a small courtyard and immediately are "taken" with the cute Chinese babies. Again.

Then the people of the village give us a show: A dragon dance!

The "music" is much like the Chinese Opera music - percussion with the "boing-y" cymbal, but here, it is appropriate and fun as the dragon bounces and weaves his way around. Loads of fun!

We applaud, then are invited to take a spot and *be* the dragon! I'm never shy, so I jump right in and wind up as the *head* of the dragon while other brave souls from our group fill out the necessary cadre.

COOOL! My initial reticence at being able to handle the job

quickly gives way to pure silliness, excitement, and joy. I'm running around like a total fool - bouncing the dragon head (which makes it's mouth swing open and shut), "licking" people with the mouth

- and then being reminded to "tie him in a knot" - so I double back and under and in circles - and note that the rest of the dragon is too smart to get in trouble: they keep managing to stay untangled.

I am having *way* too much fun with this and they just keep playing, so we just keep running around being a dragon. It is a *blast*.

Remember that we're *all*, well - over 50 - and I feel like a 5-yr-old and I'm LOVING it.

Finally the music ends and we laugh and smile and relinquish the dragon - and I find myself PANTING: it's a lot more *physical activity* than I'd thought: crouching and standing, running around, hefting the dragon up and down. I'm giddy - but that may be as much the "high" as the physical activity. Great fun!

We begin to resume normal breathing while the villagers continue with the show: first the men,

then the ladies.

I am struck by how this entire experience is one that Kathy and I would *never* have had if we had toured by ourselves - outside of a group. We never would have thought to look for such a village and I'm sure that they don't do their performances for "groups of 2". Another feather in Odyssey's cap.

My heart rate is returning to normal as Kathy uses the opportunity to capture more of the beautiful *faces* around us.