DAY EIGHT Sept. 24
Sunday, here. Day of rest. I need it. Just been staring out the window, and laying down, reading emails, and now writing. Sally, Kathy, Deb and her mom have gone to some mall somewhere. I expect them all to be gone a few hours. Deb will wear out after awhile (I think).

I remember being in the hospital at Northwest with pneumonia and thoracic surgery a few years ago...I became very homesick, just wanted to get better and go home. Tubes, wires, and a catheter hanging out of me...mean nurses, awful food...very depressing. On the other hand, this is much more comfortable (so far). I am kind of dreading the first spinal which is rough for most. Supposed to be Wednesday, but can be late or early.

It's really clear smog-wise today. Cool and dry with a good breeze. We can see the bay in the distance. China's government subsidizes coal for power production, so a lot of the smog is coal. Not enough cars to make a difference, though it may be a problem soon. It rains frequently, being tropical here, so when it does, it washes out the brown air onto the buildings. The older ther building, the browner. They're probably impeccable inside, but the older 7 & 8 story apartments look pretty run-down. A newer apartment on a 30-story highrise might cost $400 US a month. These look similar to buildings in NYC, with th's httom floors rented out as retail spaces. Speaking of rain, we have had none so far which is unusual.

For dinner, the three of us ate at Kathy's hotel, across from the hospital. It's my first time outside, and a difficult trek for me. Both girls were holding my arms, and I'm hobbling down the promenade like a stroke victim. I think I've had another "episode." I wake up one day and I'm much worse in some area than the day before. A bunch of brain cells commit pre-programmed suicide all at once. I don't remember having such a hard time at LAX last week, and covered a lot more ground. Anyway, it's got me feeling kind of down. I'm supposed to be getting better. A lot of people are pulling for me.

The hotel is pretty fancy. We ate the buffet, which is pretty extensive. I had something that could have been yak testicles, but was presented nicely and was delicious. I'm still burping the smell.

Sally needs to get on and tell you some of her adventures the past few days

Well, it's back to the grind for week two tomorrow.
Sally here. Kathy and I have ventured out every day. We are picking up a few words, are learning how to count. We went for massages last night with Deb and her mom, Jean. That was a hoot. These young men gave us back and foot massages. Deb knows just enough Chinese to get in trouble. With the help of her phrase book, she kept the dialog going. We laughed so hard, so did the boys (men? they looked very young). Everyone loved their massage, but I'm a tenderfoot, and today I have bruises! It only cost about $3.00 US for an hour and half. I don't know if I would go back soon. My feet need to recover.

Kathy and I always have an adventure when out shopping. We have managed to get our point across, but it takes time. Today we went to Lu Wo (spelling?). It's a huge 6 story shopping mall. The stores are just small stalls, and you have to bargain for everything. We weren't sure how much money to bring, but quickly ran out. So, we will be going back before Thursday, when Kathy has to leave.