I’ve mentioned my monthly writers’ critique meetings with
longtime writing friends, Dawn Storey and Marilyn (Chica) Zapata, on my Cancer
Journey blog several times before. These two ladies are an amazing source for
support, inspiration, and, above all, FUN!
Chica is a world traveler, having visited more than 50
countries with her husband, Art, and published four books
filled with photos and stories about their adventures. But her quest for multi-cultural
experiences never stops—even close to home.
She recently transported Dawn and me to Chinatown during one
of our monthly outings, right here in Houston. First on our tour was the
Buddhist Temple near Bellaire, where we explored the beautiful architecture and
learned about some of the customs of that religion. The photo above (L to R:
me, Dawn, and Chica) shows the three of us standing in front of one of the many
statues we viewed. While there, a woman brought in her annual offering, a
whole, roasted pig, and placed it on one of the altars. She told us, in broken
English, about the many blessings she receives because of her strong faith. Her
story reminded us that faith is a powerful source of strength, no matter what
language we speak.
After visiting the temple, we moseyed on down the road to
the Ocean Palace Chinese Restaurant, where we sampled a variety of dim sum
(steamed dumplings) from carts wheeled up and down the aisles by waiters who also
spoke very little English. Ordering our food was a challenge, so we simply pointed
at various baskets, and when we heard the words, “pork” or “shrimp”, we nodded
and smiled. The food was tasty, but, alas, there was no chocolate on the menu. No
one seemed to understand the word “dessert”, but since we were already stuffed
as full as the dumplings we ate, it was a blessing in disguise.
Following lunch, we stopped at the Vietnamese Mall next door
to check out the Asian market offerings, where I spotted a gorgeous, Chinese-style
dress, which I seriously considered buying for the upcoming James Bond 007
party at my dance studio. But I decided to pass on the Dr. No villain attire, in favor of a Goldfinger girl outfit instead. (Story and photos coming soon!)
Last on our itinerary for the day was a massage at Happy
Feet Foot and Body Massage. When we entered the dark, serene space, we were
each handed a set of pajamas and large flip flops to don before our session. As
you can see in the photo at right, to heck with the posing, I was anxious to
get started with the relaxing. And I wasn’t disappointed. By the time our
masseurs finished their expert routines, we were all limp as ragdolls. Ahh!!!
It was a super-fun, multi-cultural day, with good friends
and good food, and an oh-so-relaxing massage.
Thank you, Chica and Dawn, for sharing a wonderful day in Chinatown!
