In the concrete jungle of China, I found an empty space. An area where there were no cars or people crowding, no honking or unusual smells. I sat in the middle of the road cooking in the 90 degree temperature. Basking in the quiet and solitude of the moment and God’s amazing glory.
Which would you rather have? A Time Machine that will take you back and forth in time for, “do over’s”, or a Teleport, bouncing you forward from place to place?
Today, I’d like to have a time machine to go back in time to my early 20′s. I’d like a, “do over” on all the damn twinkies I ate, all the midnight ho-ho snacks I enjoyed, all the regular can’s of soda I drank, all the stacks of blueberry pancakes I devoured, a do over on the thousands of Taco’s I had, and all those other snacks I thought were harmless.
Yes, today I’d like to go back in time and start a healthier mentality on good nutrition and exercise. Maybe, just maybe I wouldn’t be fighting this constant battle of adult onset Diabetes.
Today you get to pick a Time Machine or a Teleport device, which would you pick and why?
Photo taken with an iPhone 4S at a local high school.
Enjoying a mahjong game outdoors by West Lake in Hangzhou.
A famous teahouse in Yuyuan garden located on a man made lake is Huxinting Teahouse. Appreciation of Chinese architecture design and elements is the most inviting part of the teahouse. I’ve been here numerous times and every time I stop to appreciate the building. In a word, its beautiful.
The ambiance starts at the start of the two zig zag bridges leading up to the teahouse. The pathway was designed following old Chinese beliefs. A zig zag bridge keeps evil spirits from following you or making their way to the destination as evil spirits can only travel in a straight path (<– fun fact). On this particular day there was a man right outside the teahouse mixing different kinds of tea’s.
Once inside the building you’ll immediately be awe struck by the rich lacquered wood everywhere. From the benches to the wall decor. The natural light coming in through all the windows is beautiful. The ceiling lights are decorated with red lanterns and Chinese writing tablets adorn some of the walls. I personally enjoyed the tea pot sets lying around. I felt it was pretty majestic.
I’ve read about the horrid expensive tea and how this place is a tourist trap. Of course it is, it’s location alone should tell you of the enormous prices you will pay. But, I find that there are just some things that need to be tried and experienced. Yes, I did it, I paid 116 RMB for 2 wheels of tea and 48 RMB for a beautiful smelling combination of scented flower leaves. I can tell you from personal experience that I will NEVER purchase tea for medical ailments again! Be careful what you ask for, it could very well have you running to the toilet all day! Enjoy.
I love this snap shot. It’s peaceful and calm. The graininess reminds me of the constant rainy days we have here. We live in an urban jungle with constant construction noise, non-stop honking noises, and smells that are at times indescribable. The calmness of this photo reminds of the rich beauty China has to offer.
This photo was taken in February 2013 with an iPhone 4s.
I have to laugh at my feeble attempt at humor with the title of my post. What can I say, I love the aroma of coca and herbs in different dishes and baked goods. My friend Tim & his lovely wife Dianne went to Grenada and brought me back some, “goodies”, spices!
I’ve had the spices sitting up on the shelf with my other trophies (a variety of delicious wine bottles) waiting to be used in the, “perfect”, dish. I haven’t found the perfect dish to make yet; but, I wanted to share my goodies with you. The decorative coconut shell was filled with bay leaves, saffron, crushed bay leaf, mace, curry, turmeric, & paprika.
I now have a bottle of pure vanilla also from Grenada. I’m saving this one for my wonderful husband who will be making homemade ice cream. Can you hear the angels sing? I’m hoping my husband can hear them sing when I ask him to make the ice cream. It’s a long drawn out process. The end result is pure deliciousness!
Moving on to the coca. From the delicious rich fragrance I can only guess that these will be the most delicious chocolate balls we’ll ever have! My husband will love them… The hot chocolate aroma that will come from our kitchen will be heavenly! Can’t wait for winter. 
Have you ever had lamb or do you like lamb? A well prepared lamb rack is absolutely divine with just the right amount of nutmeg. Even without any cooking going on at the moment, I can smell the aroma of some good ol cooking!
Grenada is well known as the Land of Spices due to the large number of spices grown on the island. The informative leaflet inserted in the spice filled coconut had some information I had not heard of before, it says: Ginger is used in preserves curries, chutneys, pickles, vinegar, soups, sauces, gravies, stews, in ginger beer, as a hot spicy tea for gas(carminative), and for fevers (sudorific). It flavors puddings, cakes, soups, pumpkin pies, fruit sauces, stew, pot, roast, & barbecue dressings. And here I thought ginger was only good as that tangy horseradish like flavoring pickled and served at the Japanese house with sushi. hmmm
I love spices! This gift traveled from Grenada to America to China to my trophy shelf. What’s your favorite spice and what do you use it in? Have you ever tried ginger beer? Enjoy!
