Tea picking with Mr. Xie

Dear Family and Friends,

We are about to sit down to dinner with the Xie family, but wanted to send a quick blog home. The Xie family lives in Fuxi village at the foot of the Yellow Mountains. The total population is only about 100 people, yet we have internet access! It's amazing that in a country where no one can drink water from the tap, many people have cell phones and a way to get online.

We slept in today, exhausted from our hike to the peak of the mountains yesterday. Nevertheless, we had the energy to go tea picking this afternoon. Mr. Xie taught us how to pick the best leaves and how to cook the tea. It's delicious and we'll be sure to bring some home for all of you!

We're looking out at a beautiful sunset now, preparing to eat the dumplings we made for dinner. We also slaughtered a chicken for tomorrow's lunch. Another new experience for all of us!

One more day in the village, and then we're off to Shanghai, our final stop. Time has really flown by.

See you all soon!

Mike, Julia, and the China crew