Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope the Year of the Rabbit has started well for all of you!

I've had a wonderful start to the New Year! Yesterday afternoon, Cindy and her parents picked me up to drive to the hotel that Mr. Sun manages. It's actually in the same area as the hot springs spa area I visited during Autumn Festival. No one had booked any of the rooms, so the owners invite Mr. Sun to allow his family and friends to stay there for Spring Festival.

It's a beautiful building where all the rooms face a courtyard full of green plants. Right at the entrance is a person made lake that is currently frozen over. The hotel even has brought in deer to hang out around the lake.

The hotel has it's own big KTV room where we all sang songs. Even Jan, the only employee, besides Mr. Sun who was there, got in on the action. We had an awesome dinner that Mrs. Sun prepared. She was very happy to use the hotel's big kitchen. We waited around for midnight while singing some more and I "attempted" to help Mrs. Sun make dumplings, but she just kept nodding her head sadly at me as I attempted to press together the sides of the dumplings before they are steamed! Hey... they are a lot smaller than peroigees!

At midnight, Jan set off some fireworks and we watched from the lake all the numerous firework shows in the sky. Beijing people are serious about their fireworks. It seriously felt like we were being bombed. Then, Mrs. Sun yelled at us that it was time to eat dumplings! I had thought the dumplings were for the day, but I guess it is very important to eat dumplings as soon as you can at the start of the New Year! We ate the best dumplings that I have ever had. Mrs. Sun even made me vegetarian ones even though she told me that the pork would bring me good luck.

Today, was a pretty lazy day. I got to hang out with the deer and Mrs. Sun kept on feeding me! We ate a special sticky rice cake for breakfast that brings you good luck if you eat it on New Years day. Mrs. Sun made lunch while Cindy and I watched a movie and started to clean up the hotel rooms we used that night. We all had lunch together, and than Cindy and I headed over to the hot springs spa. It was much colder to be outside in a swimsuit this time compared to the lovely September weather the last time I went. I got to have a really nice massage there by a licensed massage therapist this time, so that was really relaxing.

Mr. and Mrs. Sun picked us up with the car and drove me back to my apartment around six-ish. I was walking through the gate when one of the gardeners at my apartment complex was walking by. He looked at me, flipped a switch to turn on all of the complexes lights, and then turned back at me and gave me a thumbs up. Instantly, I started to hear so many fireworks! It was a bit of a magical moment. I went back to my apartment to drop off my bag, feed a starving Pepper, and turn on my heat, and then headed out to find a grocery store to buy some snacks to share with friends tomorrow during our Great Wall adventure.

It was so kind of the Sun family to invite me over for a real traditional Chinese New Year. I'll always be grateful for the experience. I think I'm always going to celebrate Chinese New Year from now on wherever I am...

Hope all you dear readers, have a beautiful and prosperous year of the Rabbit!