More from Winnipeg

I thought we had put this up last week, but apparently that only occurred in a parallel universe. So here is the latest guest update - my mom and her sister are visiting! They arrived last Friday and then we immediately whisked them out of town on Saturday and Sunday for a trip to LuoYang. We have pictures that we need to put up, but until then, here is the info on the trip the four of us took. The trip was organized by the Community Liaison Office of the Embassy.

Luoyang, in Henan province of China, was the starting point of the famous Silk Road during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). This city is one of China's seven ancient capital cities and is noted for its places of historical interest such as the Longmen Caves, the White Horse Temple and the Shaolin Monastery.

The first day, we are going to visit Shaolin Si (Shaolin Temple) where we will have chance to appreciate the famous Shaolin Gongfu (Shaolin Martial Arts).we are also going to visit Ta Lin, the cemetery where famous monks in the history were buried.

The second day, we will visit Longmen Shiku (Longmen Caves). The caves are shallow recesses in the cliffs south of Luoyang where the Yi River cuts through a cleft called the Dragon Gate. Legend has it that this was formed when the Great Yu, Tamer of Floods, split the mountain to release an imprisoned dragon which was causing havoc. Man has since added 1350 caves, 750 niches and 40 pagodas containing 97306 statues carved out of the sheer limestone cliffs bordering the river. Most of the carvings, which stretch over some 800m, are on the west bank. In the afternoon, we are going to visit Baima Si (White Horse Temple). Founded in 68 AD, the Baima Si has some claim to be the first Buddhist temple in China. Legend says that the Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han dreamed of a golden figure with the sun and moon behind its head. Two monks sent to search for the origin of the dream reached India and returned riding white horses with two Indian monks in tow, and a bundle of sutras. Finally, we will see peonies in Shenzhou MudanYuan (Peony Garden).Luo Yang is famous for peony flowers and April is the peony season in a year. You will be intoxicated with these lovely blossoms.