Exploring Wanzhou!!

Wanzhou is divided by the famous Yangzi River. It is the longest river in Asia and the 3rd longest in the world. It has been central to China's shipping and transportation throughout the center of the country. It stretches all the way to the Pacific and yes it is muddy :)

 

The English teachers, as well as my host family took us up to a scenic view point up in the mountains above Wanzhou. Once we got up there, we ate snacks, and then lunch and then played mahjong for about 5 hours :) .....so Chinese. Below is a mahjong table. As far as I can tell from playing for several hours, mahjong is somewhat like poker but with tiles. It originated in China and is a major part of Chinese culture. Each player gets 12 tiles and you need to make straights or three/four of a kind with them. I think it might have been beginners luck, but I somehow won like seven times. Usually you gamble with money, but we used peanuts :) And at the end I had the most peanuts!