Bringing Hannah Home

On Monday (18 May), I finally broke down and decided to go running. Those of you who have been unfortunate enough to hear my complaining, know that I’ve had a foot injury for the last few months that has kept me from running. That, as well as a pulled back muscle I got just 10 days before we departed for our trip, has combined to make one very grumpy daddy. I’ve been over the pulled back muscle for a while now, and the physical therapy I had been receiving for my foot seemed to have made it better (but not completely healed), and I’ve been putting on weight with all the eating going on over here, so I made up my mind to go for a run around the "island". You see, the hotel we’re staying at (the Victory) is on a piece of land that is bordered on one side by a broad river called the Pearl, and what someone decided to do quite a while ago was to dig a canal from one part of the river to another part of the river, essentially forming an island, and this island is called Shamian. It’s a nice island, with a definite colonial esthetic to it in the building architectures and parks. So I take off for my run, and of course I want to run along the edge near the water for the best scenery. All of the retaining walls that line the island are about 8 feet tall from the top of the wall which is the same as the "sidewalk", down to the top of the water. There are stairs cut into the retaining wall about every hundred meters or so that go down to the water. Also, it’s been raining here since we arrived, and everything is wet. Now, many of you know that I love to run in the rain, so the fact that it actually started to rain when I started on my run made me quite happy. What I soon paid close attention to however, was that the majority of the tiles that paved the top of the "sidewalk" were in fact glazed tiles. Glazed tiles that are quite slippery when wet. Wet, slippery glazed tiles at the top of the retaining wall…with an eight foot drop to the rather nasty water below, with no way out but a minimum of 50 meter swim…. Needless to say, I was very careful with my foot placement and was sure to stay away from the very edge. I hate to disappoint you, but I didn’t fall into the canal, although I could have quite easily. I did however, get plenty of gawking glances…. But I don’t blame them. Two hundred pound, bald, bearded, pale, round eye running on their island? They’re probably thinking I stole something. (Just kidding!) Anyway, after about 20-25 minutes of running, I’m really starting to feel the muscles talk to me, and so make my way to the inner parts of the island, where there is a very nice park that runs the length of the island, with the intent of doing some stretching, and then head back to the hotel. Once I get to the park, the sight that greets me is right out of National Geographic. There are about 20 Chinese people all doing their morning Tai Chi exercises in unison and in complete silence. I’m absolutely spellbound, but totally acting as if I’m not paying attention at all. I stay a respectable distance from the group (about 15 meters), and go through my stretches, all the while knowing that they’re checking me out too, but totally acting as if they’re not paying attention at all. Not wanting to be an embarrassment to my countrymen, I make sure to do a thorough leg stretch and run through my balance exercises, and I work up quite a sweat just doing these. Feeling that I’ve defended my honor sufficiently, I turn, bowing slightly in respect as I exit the exercise area, and take off at full sprint for the last 1/8 mile before slowing down at the hotel. On the way I pass by a Chinese Army guard post, manned by 3-4 uniformed army personnel. They all turn as I pass by at my full sprint, saying something to each other in Mandarin (I’m sure if I could translate, it would be something like, "Wow! I wonder if being bald makes you run faster?" – LOL!!). Actually, they were more probably asking themselves if they should arrest me since I had obviously stolen something. (ha!! JUST KIDDING! Please forgive me. 8-)

And in the end, my foot really didn’t hurt all that much. MOST excellent.

Click this link to see Shamian Island in Google maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Guangzhou,+Guangdong,+China&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.099308,72.158203&ie=UTF8&ll=23.107444,113.24692&spn=0.011111,0.017617&z=16