He is married and has a 6 year old daughter. He lives in a high-rise apartment not far from Mike's office. He grew up in Kaifaqu, so he knows the area very well. He was a truck driver (a medium size truck that makes deliveries around town) for 10 years and has NEVER been in an accident!!
On Monday, I had one of my best experiences so far in China. I told Liu that I wanted to buy strawberries (they are only available at the local outdoor markets, not at the supermarket). So he stopped at a place he knew near his house. No luck (it was Monday and they probably sold them all on the weekend). So he said he could take me to one other place nearby. OK...it's a little weird going somewhere you don't know, in a town you don't know, in China. I just have to give up control (easier now than before) and let him take me wherever!
After driving along a dirt road for a short while, we ended up at a farm where they were growing all types of produce!! Now I know where my local produce is grown, just 5 minutes from town. The farmer hand-picked about 3 kilograms of strawberries for me. These are the last of the season. Then they gave us a tour of the greenhouses. We saw green beans, tomatoes, celery, lettuce, and green onions. We also went further up the hill to an outdoor growing area and bought fresh picked lettuce (the best salad I've had in a long time!), fresh picked cilantro (I made salsa) and fresh from the ground green onions.
It was one of the most beautiful places I've been in the Dalian area. The greenhouses were nestled in a small valley, it was a cool sunny day and the area smelled clean and earthy.
These farmers live a hard life, but they all looked content and happy. Attached to the greenhouse is a small concrete hut, heated by a stove with only cold running water. After spending a winter here, I can only imagine how cold they must be in the winter!
I took some pictures with my phone (not the best quality). However, they don't do justice to the peacefulness of the place. When I look at these pictures, I see the "China-ness" of the place - stuff stacked around and on top of the houses, the motorcycle truck, the primitiveness. I wish I had a picture that captured the beauty and peacefulness too!
The hills surrounding the valley. In the foreground, the hut attached to the greenhouse and the 3-wheel motorcycle truck that they use to take the produce to the market.
The outside of one of 50 greenhouses. In the winter they put thick straw mats on top to keep them from freezing.
Inside the greenhouse picking strawberries.
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1 comment:
I want to go with you sometime!!!
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