Scenes from the Yuyuan Hotel in Taiyuan

(First, let me say, I like Tostitos in the states, the kind with a touch of lime. So I bought some Lay's potato chips, Natural and Cool lime flavor. We just tried them. They taste like potato chips with key lime pie, sweet, not salty. Bobbie said all we need is some cool whip. Stan said, "I love them, NOT!?" I suppose they're better than prawn flavored chips.)

Our hotel is located in a busy commerical district. All along the street are shops, and most are rather expensive. When you look down the alley from our hotel, the scene is very different. Like in America, there is a big difference in lifestyle for the people of China.
Looking from our window:

This is the mall directly across the street from our hotel. It has 8 floors. We have ridden the escalator up to every floor. In China, when an American shows ANY interest in an item, the sales people come running. They start showing you things. They start almost shouting to others. I think they're asking for someone who speaks better English, because sometimes a person who speaks better English shows up. This is where we bought Josise-Tatum's Barbie that sings Chinese.

These are apartments that can be seen from one of the sets of windows at the end of the corridor. Quite a different scene that the one we see from our hotel room window.

Right beside the apartment building is this one. This looks like an old home around a courtyard. It is really beautiful. We've decided it must not be a home, though. One morning, I saw many people in white hard hats, I think standing in the center. After they gathered together, they all entered one of the buildings. We are on the 12th floor, and I am often intrigued by what I see below. On the left side of the photo, you see a building. It sort of looks like a church. If you could see the roof, it reminds me of a Greek Orthodox church building. I hope to remember to ask our guide what it is.

This is an alley that can be seen from the one of the hotel windows at the end of a corridor.