HeyHey and a Big G'Day toya,
 
After chatting to Amigo I headed downstairs with my newly 'Pinyinned' map and began to ask the Hotel Lady what was good and what wasn't worth seeing when it came to the little pictures on my map. I had no idea what most of them were, could have been other hotels or toilets as far as I knew and I guessed that some of them were by her hearty chuckles.
 
I decided to begin my days adventure at the old archway/gate way and was soon walking back along the little nameless streets I began on the night before. The LP said there was some sort of war tunnel somewhere along Renmin Lu. Where it was I had no idea. I found a huge statue of some guy and just as I crossed the road I met a guy named Charles. His English was awesome as he was a Chinese English teacher at Bozhou University. We sat chatting for about an hour and we soon found that the 'Caocao Yunbingdao Tunnel' had been closed for a week due to water damage from the huge rains the week before.
 
I asked him what the tunnel was once used for.
 
He pointed to the big statue guy and told me that the statue guy was a brilliant war man and had built many tunnels beneath the city to hide the cities soldiers in so when the enemy came they would have no idea how many soldiers they city actually had.
 
Well, that's the part I remember any how.
There was probably more but after a long day that will do!
 
After saying good bye I headed back up to Weiwu Dadoa and began my walk out to a large green patch on my map that had an arch way drawn in it. This was obviously a place to be visited I thought. A green patch with an arch way, how could one go past such an invitation! ha ha! The walk took me about half an hour. I could have caught bus numbers one, two or three there but why would I do such a thing on such a beautiful day.
 
I found the large entrance to the park and looked for the ticket booth. All windows shut so I entered expecting someone to come running after me with an umbrella in the air. Nothing but silence. Cool free entry! What I found next was that the park is actually a park to celebrate the minority peoples of Bozhou known as the Wei Wudi People. The entrance to the park is actually free but the entrance to the little Wei Wudi Peoples Temple is actually 10 Yuan.
 
I wanted to have a look so I paid.   
Not exciting at all.
 
There was no English but the displays were fun. Basically statues that had one moving hand or body part. It was obviously done out of love so I was glad I paid the entrance fee to help them continue running the park. I then headed into the large green area on my map. The park was huge and full of tees and shady spots to sit. There weren't too many people there and I was pretty much left alone. There were a few small children's amusement parks along with several burial mounds.
 
Who ever thought of putting them in the same place must have been in a strange mood.
 
I think there were about four or five large tombs. Basically a large hill covered in grass and trees surrounded by a small fence.
 
After leaving the park I headed back down Weiwu Dadoa in search of two more Tomb Sites that the lady said were 'good'. I found the first on the corner of Weiwu Dadoa and Wendi Lu. It was a beautiful tomb known as Zhou Zhang Yuan Han Mu. It was the same mound of dirt with grass growing on it, but what was different here was the fact that after paying 5 Yuan you could actually go beneath the tomb.
 
As I had never been beneath a tomb before I was soon descending into a labyrinth of small corridors and arch ways below. I was walking in freezing cold water nearing knee deep in some places. It kind of gave me the Indiana Jones feeling! Ha Ha but luckily there was no music, arrows, bullets, grails, whips...but there was a beautiful girl with a torch with me, maybe she had a whip hidden somewhere down there!
 
I said a huge thank you to the small staff and continued back down Weiwu Dadoa towards the city. I passed the second tomb which was closed and really, one tomb was enough for the day. Whilst walking I spied a tall pagoda to my left hidden down the back streets. Never to pass an opportunity to see a pagoda I soon found it. It really is more of a place to burn incense and though tall its diameter is small. You can walk inside if you like but the ceiling is covered and it is only wide enough for one person.
 
So why would you bother going inside unless you were going to burn some incense? Huh!
That's the exact question that was on the faces of the locals when I motioned going inside.
Stupid bloody foreigners!
 
After stepping out of the large incense burner and saying good bye to the bemused locals playing mahjong and cards I continued down the little side street and was soon back on the main road. After spotting a market place I headed in for some shade and found it also very cool as it was beneath the ground. It was called 'Xin Tai Walk The Street' and it allowed me to zig zag my way through to Renmin Lu.
 
I then spied another green patch on my map and headed in that general direction. Soon I found a small park filled with families all playing cards, chess and mahjong with what seemed like a million little children running riot around them. After a million strange looks and 'Hellooows' I headed back to the Old Gateway on Heping Lu. If you enter the gateway from Heping Lu and turn right not far from Xinhua Lu you will find a beautiful little Taoist Temple that costs only 5 Yuan to enter.
 
Here I sat to rest and contemplate life as it stood for me now.
 
Similarities between past and present began to emerge. I had just met a beautiful girl who was raised in a Temple. She seems to be wise beyond her years and has a special 'air' about her that one only finds in limited people through out life. Strangely my last girlfriend grew up the same way but with Nuns and not Monks and has that same 'air' about her along with being a very wise soul.
 
What does it mean?
Am I a very stupid person who needs to be sent to such people to help me get through life?
Or am I too a wise soul in search of someone on the same 'level' as me.
 
I'm going the first choice...ha ha ha!
 
Anyhow after a smiley good bye to the two old gate people I headed down to Xinxing Lu and then bagan my journey in the old Muslim Quarter of Bozhou. Soon I was surrounded by several guys in their mid teens and twenties who took me into their Mosque. They proudly gave me the tour through out and showed me where it was ok to take photos etc. They were so proud of their Mosque. It really was a beautiful experience and soon their parents had joined us and we spent an hour trying our best to ask and answer questions with only limited skills.
 
The guys happily walked with me back to Xinxing Lu and I sat for noodles and a beer at the happy Noodle Eatery from last night before heading home to do some hand washing and chatting to Amigo. In Kaifeng it was raining just as it had the night I nearly had to swim home.     
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was The Cult
The album was 'Pure Cult'
Rock On!