Thursday
We took off early on Thursday morning for our ferry ride over to Gulang Yu, which means Drum Rock. Legend has it that it got this name because the ancient settlers on the island were attracted to the eerie drum beats, only to discover the drumming was caused by the tides surging through a hollow rock found on the island's southwest corner. 
Gulang Yu was one of the first treaty ports to be opened to foreign residence and trade after the First Opium War. The other ports that were opened at that time were located in Guangdong, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai. No vehicles are allowed on Gulang Yu because of its narrow alleys. We wandered around the island and were impressed by the architecture of the buildings. Many exhibited European influences and were in very good shape. We went over to the Bird Sanctuary and then rode the cable car from one side of the island to head over to Sunlight Rock. There you get a magnificent view from the top of the whole island. We took in a puppet show and stopped in to see the only Piano Museum in China. Friday
Mr. Kung picked us up from our hotel for our four hour drive to a Hakka village located in Nanjing county. This would be where we would see our first Tulou home. The ancestors of the Nanjing Tulou homes built the walls by mixing raw earth with lime and fine sand. Wood logs and bamboo strips were added in order to reinforce the walls. The walls were over ten meters high and very thick. This design protected the Hakka people from invasion and the structure was strong enough to withstand explosives from gunpowder. The tulou consisted of an outer four story ring with each floor divided into 44 rooms and two halls, an inner, two story ring divided into eight sections and two tobacco workshops outside, bringing the total number of rooms to 222. Windows to the outside world begin two stories up. 
Balconies running along the interiors provides access and light. The inner ring joins at a hall for worshipping ancestors and celebrations of marriage. The homes we saw were four storied structures and are still in use today. Its incredible to believe that these houses are over seven hundred years old and held together with nothing more than compacted earth and some bamboo reinforcements. 
We continued touring other tulous found along the way until we reached our destination. A local hotel in Yongding county that is deemed to be the best hotel for foreigners. In other words, it was a pig sty. Actually, it was next to a pig sty. There is nothing like the smell of pigs on a hot day. No one was happy. In addition to the lovely smell the beds were made out of concrete, steel or nails. Whatever it was, it hurt like hell. This was not where we wanted to stay or eat. We had a fiasco at lunch at a local restaurant and Mr. Kung was perceptive enough to notice that NO ONE ATE ANYTHING. He asked that I choose the dinner items and I had to get real creative. Saturday
We woke to an international breakfast of one cold fried egg swimming in soy sauce, white bread (apparently toasting was an option) and Nescafe, yum, yum. To sum it up it ain't the Marriott, Hilton or the Motel Six for that matter. We packed up and left as quickly as possible since we all had a horrible nights sleep. We were headed to see more tulous and the kids were ready to jump off a cliff. Literally.
We had lunch at a local tulou village restaurant. Once again, I was in charge of ordering lunch to ensure the kids would eat something. Things were going well ..... until the kids witnessed the restaurant owner killing a chicken, duck and anything else that happened to walk into the restaurant with her bare hands. I am not sure, but I think some counseling will be needed.
We headed back to Xiamen after lunch and five hours later, we were relieved to be back in civilization. Many years ago, my friend Margaret and I came to China. I refused to use any of the bathrooms because they were absolutely filthy. This earned me the nickname "The Camel." Well, the Camel was back for a repeat performance. Margaret would be proud of me since I held my bladder for 10 hours straight. Like I said, nothing an antibiotic can't cure. We arrived at our hotel and I practically knocked Tony and Matthew down to get to the bathroom.
Sunday
We got up and had our last meal in Xiamen. After breakfast, we headed over to the pier before we had to head to the airport. Let's just say the kids were happy to be leaving Xiamen to return to Shanghai. As we were landing into the airport in Shanghai, Matthew actually said "Shanghai, Home Sweet Home."
