After a very long bus ride we arrived in the town of Lijang.
Our hotel had a terrace in the back with a beautiful view.
But it made me feel a little homesick. I got kind of a
bubbly feeling in my stomach, and felt sad. I thought about Kiki and
Butterscotch. I also miss you guys.
We went for a walk through the town. It was beautiful. There
were trees and rivers running through it. But it felt a little lonely.
Lijiang is home to the Naxi people. The Naxi have many
interesting customs. In traditional Naxi culture, the women do the work and
make the money. The men sit around, talk and play music. Can you tell which of
these lions is male and which is female?
Naxi buildings have carved fish to protect them from fire.
Naxi roofs have clay cats, called tiger cats. The cats are
supposed to scare away bad spirits.
The Naxi people also like frogs, because they like babies
and frogs have lots of babies. Frogs can also symbolize lots of money. I got
this frog in a little market street below our hotel. You hold it by its two
front paws and rub the bumps on its back with a stick. It sounds just like a
croaking frog.
The Naxi people have their own language, and their own writing.
This is the Naxi symbol for a pregnant woman.
There was lots to do in Lijang.
I followed a yellow balloon down the river.
I sat down for a little bit to watercolor.
I took a picture of a grandmother and her grandbaby feeding
goldfish in the river.
I met two nice ladies who liked my pictures.
When we got back to the hotel, we drank tea on the terrace.
I thought the crickets might like to hang in the trees, so I
hung them up.
But I still felt homesick. I wondered what was happening in
the small house with the yellow roof at 1713 Tippah Ave. I wondered what Kiki
and Butterscotch were doing. I wondered if they were O.K. I missed my models
and Legos. I also wanted to know if you guys were O.K. I hope school is going
well.
What do you think this Naxi picture symbolizes? It’s the
place I’d like to be right now.
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