Virtual China: Qinghai Lake

 

 

Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China.

Is is visible from space.

Composed of saltwater...and large enough that is actually has tides...waves and a rime of salt encircling it.

Is there any wonder why tourists flock to this seaside-that-isn't every summer.

It covers 1667 square miles and ranges from 69 feet to 89 feet deep.

Qing denotes the color...blue-green.

The lake is over 10,000 feet above sea level.

The tip of the peninsula on the western end holds 2 estuaries. Collectively they are known as The Bird Islands. (Niao Dao)

https://youtu.be/OjqeRN3Byn0

And what good is a huge deep lake if you don't have a Lake Monster?

Qinghai is no exception and reports of The River Dragon exist here.

Dozens have reported seeing the dragon-like creature including monks who live in the Buddhist monastery across the lake.

This is the only photo I could find.

They call him Ao Run and say he is a water god.

Twenty three rivers and streams empty into Qinghai and the lake is around 14 ppt salt.

It is also alkaline.

It freezes three months of winter and it is then that the monks walk across the ice and travel to the far side.

They will not boat across in the summer.

A pilgrimage to circumvent Qinghai is made in the 12th Year (Year of The Horse)

It takes 18 days on horseback and almost 23 days on foot to complete the circle.

 Qinghai Tibetan Monastery.

 

 I hope you have enjoyed today's adventure!

Don't mind me...I'm just fascinated by these white yaks.

 

 

Peacocks...Our Spring Fling...and More

 

Slowly recovering from our Spring Fling...

Woke this morning to ice and 28 degrees! My poor sprouting daffodils are in a state of shock.

Baked a cherry pie to go with coffee...have the house warmed back up to 70 degrees...and all is right with my world.

Our Escape was wonderful.

We tried the newly moved Fairway Restaurant nearby...they recently moved from across from the fairgrounds to where the Double Decker used to be.  The Double Decker is now located by Robe Ann Park.

The new owners have opened out the dining area and it is spacious and light...a nice change.

The food is amazing...and the portions huge. Just finished off the remains yesterday! The forever BLT and Fries..finally gone.

Found a strawberry and cream pound-cake candle for our room...so we had to have these as well.

Strawberry and cream pound-cake muffins.

And enjoyed coffee and toast and gravy at The Breakfast Company.

Made the not-to-be-repeated mistake of trying to find news on the television about the Ukraine War before turning in...as we have both been following it closely.

OMFG!!!

First-off..when did 965 channels become a thing???

SERIOUSLY???

And who watches The Emeril Cooking Show at 11:00 PM???

(...I might have just reached "Get OFF My Lawn" years old...)

After scrolling forever...we finally just gave up...and became a little nostalgic

"Remember when there was 4, 6, 8, 13 and sometimes 20...and the TV Station signed off at night...an American flag and the national anthem and a test pattern...then TV was just over for the day???"

"Rabbit Ears and Aluminum Foil"

Good times.

sigh

But we are back...and have April's trek taking shape...and making reservations and such. Hopefully, it will be warmer, by then.

 "No...you can't leave me again...ever!!!"

                                                    Gadget

"The bear moved...I SAW it!!!"

                                          Sofi

Today marks 31 days of Putin's Invasion.

Kyiv is still standing.

Zelenskyy is fine.

And things aren't going as planned for the Russians...who said yesterday that they were scaling back their operation...lol

Hope they soon scale it back to Russia where they belong.

I don't really follow basketball, March Madness or the Final Four...dabbled in it when the boys were growing up with a house full of boys and their friends...Reggie Miller and Micheal Jordan posters on the wall and the game on the tube...hot pizzas and happy chaos...but not so much now.

Then The Peacocks beat Kentucky.

I knew because it was headline news.

Now they have beaten 3 top teams...and are part of The Elite Eight.

The Peacocks.

Who would have thought???

So here they are...poised to take on Carolina tonight...and I am kind of hoping they win the Final Four...lol

Go Peacocks!!!!!

 

Another thing took me right back to the boys childhood the other day...this card.

Which we spent years and a lot of cash trying to find.

It sold at an auction yesterday.

First Edition.

Mint Condition.

$420,000.

(...the kids were right...)

Who knew???

Have a Wonderful Sunday!

Virtual China: Qinghai

 

Qinghai (pronounced Ching-Hi) was named after its lake...the largest salt lake in China.

We will explore it later.

Located on the Northwest corner of the Tibetan Plateau...this is where the Yellow River begins.

Qinghai is also the source of the Mekong and the Yangtze Rivers.

The second largest river in China the Yellow River is 3395 miles long. 

This is where it begins...

The Yellow River

https://youtu.be/IZe12HYfpYM

There are a myriad of ethnic groups here...but the religions are basically Buddhist, Islamic and Christianity.

Languages are Mandarin and Tibetan.

Qinghai is heavily influenced by the Mongols and Tibetan cultures.

It is known for its iron and steel production.

Qinghai Lake is a major source of income through tourism.

 Because of the cooler temperatures it tends to be a destination during the long hot summertime.

Qinghai Lake

https://youtu.be/OjqeRN3Byn0

which we will explore is more detail next time. 

Until then...
 

 

Virtual China: Xinpiang Cuisine- Di Pan Ji

 

The local favorite dish...Di Pan Ji...also known as Big Plate Chicken.

Assorted root vegetables (I used onions...carrots and potatoes) stir fried with chicken meat and peppers and mixed in a brown sauce of soy, five spice, and cornstarch.

It is thicker than a soup...thinner than a stew.

Can be served solo..or over a bed of rice or thick noodles.

I can see why this is a well loved dish.

All of the flavors blend nicely, and it is healthy and filling.

Smells amazing while cooking...and done in less than 20 minutes.

One (wok) cooking makes for easy clean-up!

Maybe the best dish I've tried so far...

 

Next week, we will explore Qinghai.

                                   Home to the largest salt lake in China.

Saint Patrick's Day...Baker Mayfield...Day 22 & Kyiv is STILL Standing

 

Diane back from Florida and fully recovered from breakthrough Covid...joined me for Mexican Brunch on St. Paddy's Day.

"Hey...Margaritas are GREEN...okay???"

We drank a toast to our recently departed friend, Brenda, and wondered when the transit would resume trips...it has been two years now.

Getting greener daily and Spring seems to have arrived. Did some pre-chilled daffodil bulbs earlier in the week...and still have some left to put out. Maybe Sunday.

Nice slow relaxing weekend here. Trying like mad to resume the 5:2...and have some low impact workouts I've been doing thanks to Sixty & Me. Not seeing a lot of difference yet...maybe a bit of strength returning and I've lost maybe five pounds. 

It's a PROCESS.

Carson Wentz is now traded to Washington...and now the search is on for The Colts new quarterback.

Garoppolo seemed like the most likely choice...but wait!!!

News this morning indicated that since Deshaun Watson has joined The Broncos...Baker Mayfield will be leaving...and has expressed a desire to play with The Colts.

True-be-told, I don't know a lot about him...but this surely has to be an upgrade from Wentz.

...I was hoping we would dump Reich as well...sigh...so we could win games and such...

And, in case you had not heard...

"That's right...I'm back, baby..."

Tom Brady has decided NOT to retire and is playing one more season with the Buccs.

Amusing some of you...and annoying the rest. 

Which may have been the point, all along.

 Who knows?

One of The Best shots from Mahomes Wedding...

Yeah...Kansas City Chiefs will be MY team for the foreseeable future. 

It is Day 22 and both Zelenskyy and Kyiv are STILL standing.

I'm beginning to think Putin has bitten off more than he can chew.

Good.

Legos has made a little Zelenskyy action figure with a tiny Molotov Cocktail...lol.

Seriously.

I may have to have one.

 

A Cinderella Saturday here...some rain...finishing off my veggie pizza and looking forward to a hot bubble bath...and maybe a movie later.

 Have a Wonderful Weekend!

 

 

 

Virtual China: Xinjiang...The Mosques and Temples

 

Mosques...Temples and even Christian Churches!

They are everywhere in Xinjiang

From the ornate Mosques

where devout Islamic gather to pray.

To magnificent Buddhist Temples.

And simple white Christian Churches...the fastest growing religion in China, currently.

Where Religions Coexist Peacefully

https://youtu.be/gyUbSk4d60I

 

Xinjiang is also home to some of the ancient Buddhist ruins.

This Temple (Subax) dating back to nearly 2,000 years ago.

Now deemed a World Heritage Site along with The Grand Canal where it sits.

Sadly, I found no videos of this site.

 

Only photos from outside.

Next...we will try the #1 dish of the area, Di Pan Ji.

(...simply known as Big Plate Chicken...)

Until then...

Virtual Mainland China: Xinjiang

 

 

 

Today we begin here.

The Province of 

Xinjiang

(pronounced shin-jong)

It is located in the far NW of China.

 

Close to Central Asia.

The province is huge.

620,000 square miles.

About 25 million people call it home.

 

Its borders are mountainous.

 

You are here.

 

The land is filled with mountains

meadows

grassland

rivers and lakes

and even a couple of deserts.

Crossing China's Largest Desert

https://youtu.be/L8hP9XSQEHk

Drone View

https://youtu.be/xM_2_MrMblA

The desert name of Taklimaken translates to "...you can get into it but you can never get out..."

Yeah...that's comforting.

You will note that the sands here are not reddish or brown...but more of a golden yellow.

This made up part of the ancient Silk Road.

And there are Silk Road Tours.

https://youtu.be/HGFUO13AOLk

https://youtu.be/LowP8zYHDYA

Frying an Egg in the Heat

https://youtu.be/ikGbY7IRwaI

The people here are known as Xiyu and are composed of many nationalities and religions. 

Buddhist and Sunni Muslim are the most prevalent.

Next time we will explore some of the Temples and Mosques.

Until then...

 

The War...Mr.& Mrs. Mahomes...and More

 

 

Nothing says "BADASS" like Ukrainian soldiers playing chess/checkers with Molotov Cocktails at a check-point.

This is Day 18 of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

Putin thought 72 hours at most.

After that was over he upped it to 15 days.

Now it is Day 18...Zelenskyy is still President and has balls of steel...Kyiv is still standing...

My morning routine is

Feed the Cat.

Check on Zelenskyy

Cup of Coffee

Oh and the Ruble is less than 1/2 cent.

The Russian Stock Exchange is STILL closed...to prevent collapse.

It seems EVERYONE has strong sanctions against Russia.

Ports and airspace are closed to them.

Bang up job, so far, Vlad.

 

The loss of life ((both sides) has been appalling. Even Journalists.

The shelling has destroyed hospitals and schools and some whole towns.

and a cat story has emerged.

                                              "I have seen some shit, Dad."

I did not get the name of this grey and white survivor.

The man pictured above lost his daughter, son-in-law, wife and mother-in-law together in an instant as the mortar strike flattened his home. 

The only survivor his cat...which he found outside.

Both of them just look traumatized. 

Slavia Ukraini!

 

Uplifting News this weekend...Patrick and Brittney are now Mr.& Mrs. Mahomes.

Married on Hawaii...with his brother as the best man and family and teammates and friends present.

Finally finished Obama's book on Friday.

It was wonderful...and expectedly verbose.

Interesting to read his inner thoughts as his climb to the top progressed.

Impossible not to hear his cadenced voice while reading it.

Having read this and Michelle's Becoming Michelle some time back...I must admit I enjoyed her book better...but this is still very good and worth the read.

 

Sofi is back to normal after her heat.

 

"I LOVE Everybody...."

                                 Sofi

I made a HUGE mistake in the midst of it all...with a smart-assed joke that backfired spectacularly.

I looked up Tom Cats yowling on You-Tube...because you know they had to be there.

Needless to say she thought her Prince had come.

It was just horrific. Took hours to settle her down.

Take it from me...not worth the three minute laugh.

 Not even close.

 "Lovin' my new house, Mom!"

                                                Gadget

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!