Meeting Up with An Old Friend in Luoyang - The Joy of Travelling in China!

First day in Luoyang - We took the fast train from Xian to Luoyang in the early afternoon and arrived there shortly after 6pm. Thanks to J’s hardwork and efforts, he got us the fast train tickets this time! The fast train ride was very pleasant and we enjoyed the mountainous scenery tremendously!

We called a didi and arrived at Yp’s house. She already had a delicious dinner prepared for us. We appreciated her kindness, had dinner together and caught up with each other's life.

After dinner, she took us for a tour of her new apartment, a beautiful place indeed! We were exhausted from our train ride and went to bed soon after dinner. The next day - Our second day and the only full day we had in Luoyang! We spent a couple of hours enjoying the breakfast Yp had prepared for us and caught up with her about her family and everything. I was happy to see J. felt at easy with my friend, and was able to converse with her and sharing with her about his own life experiences. He was very honest about his problems as well. We also exchanged our stories as well. After lunch, we went to the Longmen Grotto, a very famous site in Luoyang.

Having spent almost a whole day there, we capped the perfect day by having dinner with Yp at her favourite local restaurant in Luoyang! J. was curious about the night life in Luoyang and he went to explore on his own after dinner while we went back to Yp's' home. We were tired from our visit to the Grotto and went to bed pretty early. When I checked my cell phone later, it was around 330am and J. wasn't back yet. I was worried about him being out so late by himself in a strange city. I texted him asking if he was OK; he replied right away making me felt better!

Our third day in Luoyang. Because I went to sleep late, I didn't wake up until almost 1130 a.m.! Yp was already up and had prepared a brunch for us. As I wasn't feeling so good, I told J. not to run around tryng to see too many things but just stay in the apartment until it was time to board the train. This also allowed us to spend more time with my friend. It was good seeing Yp again and staying in her beautiful home. We found out that she moved into her newly decorated and furnished home the day before we arrived!

We were staying in a gorgeous, spacious and modern apartment tastefully decorated with thoughtfully chosen and coordinated furnishing. This opened our eyes to how modern Chinese are living in China.The middle class Chinese are living quite comfortably in nice apartments buildings with their own community garden rest areas with fountains, children's playground etc.

We talked, sang some hymns, and played our favourite card game among the four of us. It was a lot of fun and I was glad to see my friend having a good time with us. In the middle of our game, my friend's son called and we talked with him and found out where he was and how he was doing.

Our visit to Luoyang was fantastic! We were delighted that we spent a good amount of time with my old friend at LuoYang. Physically, we were well treated with a beautiful place to stay and being fed with delicious homecooked food. But the best part was praying together and caring for each other. Spiritual food is just as important as our physical needs! Thank you, Yp for your generosity and kindness of receiving and hosting us in your beautiful home in China! RT Luoyang, China 022025