Return to Changsha

View from our hotel room. Rainy day, not just hazy.

We got up at 4:30am today in order to make our flight out of Chengdu. Then we sat on the plane for over an hour waiting to take off, which put us into Changsha very late in the morning. We met our guide, Rainbow (really, I’m not making that up), and headed into Changsha. On the way she told us that there had been a fire at the Dolton Hotel recently and that we’d be staying at the Tong Chang Hotel instead. It’s a kind of odd twist that the last time we were in Changsha we could see Amanda’s orphanage from our hotel room and this time, due to the fire at the Dolton, we can see her “finding spot” from our hotel room at the Tong Chang Hotel. In the picture, it’s on the left about two blocks past the curve in the road. This hotel is very nice, definitely the fanciest room we’ve had so far on this trip, but no one here speaks any English except one of the managers. He has gone out of his way to make sure we are comfortable, but we are on our own when we go to the restaurant or leave the hotel (more on that later).

Koi pond at the ancient academy in Changsha.

After checking in at the hotel we visited a local academy on the grounds of Hunan University. This academy has been in existence since about 1000 A.D. Rainbow showed us around the academy’s buildings, which have been preserved as they were in ancient times. Some of the lecture spots still get used for special occasions. We also visited a museum (an honest-to-goodness museum) that houses ancient texts and artifacts related to the academy. The museum opened so recently that some rooms on the top floor are still under construction. One of the texts on display dates from the year 1340, and it’s the real deal, not a reproduction. Jerri and I enjoyed that part of the tour immensely, but the girls were unimpressed. Someday they’ll appreciate the history…maybe.

More academy pictures...