I am relieved that my grandma, my mom and Emily have recovered from their flu. Grandma is still coughing, but has improved significantly. They have returned to Hong Kong on June 8 and will fly back to Vancouver on June 18.
Even though they have visited with different family and friends daily, they have not met up with everyone yet. They particularly enjoy their visits with Cousin S's family. They are excited that they will see Cousin P again tomorrow night. Cousin P moved to Toronto a few years ago. She works for Air Canada and flies to Hong Kong once a month. It is so interesting that they can get together twice in Hong Kong.
My mom ran out of cash and was in debt shortly after she arrived Hong Kong from paying for visa applications and tour packages. My mom had traveler cheques in US$ and C$. When she went to the bank for exchange to HK$. The first bank she went to only accepts US cash. The second bank she went to charges a fee for exchanging traveler cheques (no fee for exchanging cash). My mom proceeded to sign the traveler cheques and after she signed a bunch of them, she was asked for her passport. She could not produce it as it was submitted for visa application to enter China. Cousin P came to her rescue and brought her $2,000 Canadian dollars so that she could pay off her debts before leaving for China.
When my mom went on a tour to China with grandma in the fall of 2005, she brought cash with her. When she exchanged currency during that trip, the rate for cheques was higher than the rate for cash. So she brought cheques this time and yet it would have been better if she had brought cash.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Guilin Trip
Grandma started to cough the day before they returned from the Eastern China trip. She appeared to improve somewhat after they returned to Guangzhou. After a 5-day trip (May 27 - 31) to Guilin （桂林）was paid for, Grandma stated that she was really uncomfortable. My mom wished she had said so sooner. Grandma was taken to the hospital to see a doctor. The chest X-ray showed pneumonia. However, Grandma did not feel she was probably diagnosed. The X-ray technician was very rude and impatient. She was not properly positioned and the X-ray was taken while she was coughing. The doctor suggested admission or outpatient IV antibiotics for 10 days. She requested oral antibiotics and took one dose of IV antibiotics before she went home to rest. My mom observed Grandma's condition to determine whether they had to cancel the trip or not. Grandma started to improve after commencement of medications.
The Guilin tour was actually only 3 days. They decided to go by train as a new experience and to avoid the need to show their Canadian passports. Some tour company charges foreigners an extra $400 for their tour packages stating that this is the requirement of the Guilin local authorities. They boarded the air-conditioned train at night and arrived the next morning. They slept on a 3-level bunk bed, which was actually more comfortable than anticipated.
They visited several parks （e.g. 象山景區）in Guilin on the first day. There has been a lot of rain recently and the water level is high. Some of the walk paths are submerged in water. The heavy rain and run offs stir up the soil making the water a muddy color. It rained most of the morning as they toured the parks. For fear of damages to the camera by the heavy rain, Emily did not take any pictures until the afternoon. Emily was not enthusiatic at all, as she was not feeling well.
They decided to take it easy in the evening and rested in the hotel instead of venturing out. Grandma was constipated, so my mom and Emily went out to look for laxative and purchased fruit for Grandma. Emily took Tylenol for fever and aches. She had trouble sleeping, but eventually fell asleep. By that time, my mom was wide awake and decided to work on completing a project evaluation report for submission online. Shortly after my mom fell asleep, Grandma woke her up to help her as she was very uncomfortable from constipation. My mom was up most of the night and was tired.
They took a boat ride down the Lijiang （漓江）the next morning before checking into a hotel. My mom and Emily were going to look after Grandma at the hotel the rest of the day. Grandma got better by the end of the boat ride, so my mom and Emily felt comfortable leaving Grandma at the hotel and they went with the gruop to three additionally paid attractions. The first one was taking a bamboo raft up and down a river with calm and clear waters. The second one was to visit a tribal village （圖騰古道）. The aboriginals acted out to entertain the tourists. My mom and Emily felt that they are being exploited and did not enjoy the visit at all. The last stop was to visit a cave （聚龍潭）. My mom thought it was very nice, but Emily was not impressed.
The highlight of the last day was to visit another cave（蘆笛宕）in the morning. This cave was really impressive! The cave they saw the day before was no comparision to it. Emily took a lot of pictures and some of them turned out quite nice.
The Guilin tour was actually only 3 days. They decided to go by train as a new experience and to avoid the need to show their Canadian passports. Some tour company charges foreigners an extra $400 for their tour packages stating that this is the requirement of the Guilin local authorities. They boarded the air-conditioned train at night and arrived the next morning. They slept on a 3-level bunk bed, which was actually more comfortable than anticipated.
They visited several parks （e.g. 象山景區）in Guilin on the first day. There has been a lot of rain recently and the water level is high. Some of the walk paths are submerged in water. The heavy rain and run offs stir up the soil making the water a muddy color. It rained most of the morning as they toured the parks. For fear of damages to the camera by the heavy rain, Emily did not take any pictures until the afternoon. Emily was not enthusiatic at all, as she was not feeling well.
They decided to take it easy in the evening and rested in the hotel instead of venturing out. Grandma was constipated, so my mom and Emily went out to look for laxative and purchased fruit for Grandma. Emily took Tylenol for fever and aches. She had trouble sleeping, but eventually fell asleep. By that time, my mom was wide awake and decided to work on completing a project evaluation report for submission online. Shortly after my mom fell asleep, Grandma woke her up to help her as she was very uncomfortable from constipation. My mom was up most of the night and was tired.
They took a boat ride down the Lijiang （漓江）the next morning before checking into a hotel. My mom and Emily were going to look after Grandma at the hotel the rest of the day. Grandma got better by the end of the boat ride, so my mom and Emily felt comfortable leaving Grandma at the hotel and they went with the gruop to three additionally paid attractions. The first one was taking a bamboo raft up and down a river with calm and clear waters. The second one was to visit a tribal village （圖騰古道）. The aboriginals acted out to entertain the tourists. My mom and Emily felt that they are being exploited and did not enjoy the visit at all. The last stop was to visit a cave （聚龍潭）. My mom thought it was very nice, but Emily was not impressed.
The highlight of the last day was to visit another cave（蘆笛宕）in the morning. This cave was really impressive! The cave they saw the day before was no comparision to it. Emily took a lot of pictures and some of them turned out quite nice.
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