Chinese home stay

Before we left Qingdao a few of the crew spent a day with a Chinese family. Gaurav and I met up with Cherrie, Wang and Richard their 8 year old son (along with a reporter and photographer). Cherrie, was able to speak good English.

First we all drove to their flat which was quite small but very nice inside and helped out with the making of fresh dumplings and noodles for a great lunch along with various other dishes including pork and clams.

Making lunch

After lunch some friends of theirs joined us with their 8 year old daughter who had a violin and gave a short recital; She was incredible! Gaurav took some video so I hope one day to be able to post it up. Next was a trip to a nearby art studio where we practised Chinese calligraphy by making signs of friendship. Then it was along to see Richards primary school which was very colourful and smart. We met all the children and had a question and answer session talking about our race around the world  (Cherrie acting as translator). We then got back into the car and drove around Qingdao to a beautiful park near a beach before heading back to the boat to show them where we lived. Finally in the evening there was a large buffet banquet for the prize giving ceremony.

My final full day in China was spent finishing  off the sail repairs and getting Mission Performance ready for the next leg. It has been a great stop over, but now the time has come to face the Pacific.