Today, Betty, her friend Li, and I climbed a mountain.  It is called Fangyan.  Her friend drove.  I can't stress enough how many times I yelped, gasped, or curled up in a ball in the front seat of the car.  Some of it was to impress me  I think.  All it did was get us there quickly and give me more gray hair.  The mountain is special because both of their families grew up there.  Betty's grandfather was a local on the mountain all his life.  They explained all the history as we walked up the stone path and the steps. The stone path is miles long  and gorgeous.  It was hand laid and created hundreds of years ago by local laborers.  This city is named YongKang which means "Good health forever."  It is named that because an emperor wen to the top of Fangyan mountain to pray for his dying mother.  She was healed so he created this city in her honor and built the temples at the top of the mountain to the gods who healed her.  While at the top, I was encouraged to make a "wish" by shaking a can of sticks until one fell on the ground.  Then, an elder will read the message from the Gods that is on the stick for me.  Unfortunately, they were angered that I did not take it seriously, so I needed to make a donation to the Gods to make them happy with me again.  In an effort not to offend, it cost me about 40 yuan.  Then they treated me to a lunch at a local restaurant at the very top of the mountain.  There is a one lane path that leads to it that takes about 20 minutes to drive.  We squeezed the Cadillac up that path at 50 mph.  It was like a roller coaster.  The meal was interesting because it is the house of a family and we walked into the kitchen to choose our ingredients for our meal.  There were bowls and shelves full of freshly picked vegetables and herbs.  Elderly women sat on stools outside on the stone walk clipping beans and peas for the dinner crowd that would come in the evening.  Another man had a boiling pot in which he was boiling the feathers off of chickens he had just killed.  It was so provincial and wonderful to see.  The meal was served a huge round table.  Betty was so kind as to choose 10 dishes for me to try.  The snails were a no go for me.  The other mystery item that I ate was billed as a local delicacy meat.  They smiled when they said it and I politely ate it without asking any more questions.  WOOF!  The vegetables, bread, and other meats were beyond description.  We had a long leisurely lunch and after a rest, I am heading out on the town to shop and find some new adventures.  Man!  I LOVE THIS PLACE!!