Dong Ding, May 6th 2012

I love being on Dong Ding mountain. I simply love the views there and all of the mountains I can see from the distance. However, I always have some mixed feelings before I go there. Farmer Song is not an easy person to deal with. He has a kind heart, but he tells people what is right, what to do and how to think. I have had problems communicating with him, but this time, I decided to do my best to stay calm and just listen without arguing.

As soon as I arrived, Farmer Song and his wife heated up water for tea. They told me they had saved some tea they thought I would like and they wanted me to choose my tea before other guests showed up. I felt a bit rushed, but grateful to be given the opportunity to choose first.

The moment I sat down, Farmer Song started his "lecture." Mrs. Song would go in and out of the kitchen as she tasted some tea with me. We were not able to talk much because Mr. Song told her to go back to cooking. Even though we only got a small chance to talk, our communication has always been right to the point. I let her know how I felt about each tea, the differences among each tea and how it was difficult to choose one. She smiled and she said she thought I would like them. I ended up choosing one with a heavier body for our Dong Ding Traditional Roast. I can't wait to taste it with all of you when I get back to Seattle. I think you will like it!

After tea, their other guests arrived and farmer Song took us all for a walk. We saw his tea fields and he told us that it's all organic. He said he doesn't even buy any fertilizer for the tea plants. He uses cut grass around the field as fertilizer. There are lots of trees, plants, and flowers. The view is very beautiful.

After dinner, Konghai and I went to our own room. We fell asleep accompanied by the bright, full moon, and the sounds of frogs, cicadas and lots of unknown insects.