Stegosaurus decided that he was going to spend some time in China visiting his cousin Wuerhosaurus. When Kentrosaurus found out about the trip, he asked to come as well, since he had never been to China. Stegosaurus agreed to pick him up along the way, so he got on his raft and floated forthrightly to Johannesburg, South Africa to meet Kentrosaurus. When Stegosaurus arrived, Kentrosaurus said,
"Hail, good cousin! I am glad you are here and look forward to spending time with you and Wuerhosaurus in the Country of China! May God bless and protect us on our journey! Have you heard if Lexovissaurus and his lovely wife Loricatosaurus are coming?"

"I asked, " said Stegosaurus, "... and the answer was 'No.' This spring is Loricatosaurus' last semester at Oxford, and since she is studying hard she does not have time for travel. Lexovissaurus is reluctant to leave for China ... he said he'd rather visit England since his wife is there and he'd like to see her graduate. He said he would be likely to make it to China some year when his wife is there digging around looking for herself somewhere."
"I am sorry to hear that they will not be with us, I was looking forward to seeing them," said Kentrosaurus. "Let's get started on our journey. I have checked with Woolly Mammoth, and he knows of and has approved my time off at the Church."
"Very well, " said Stegosaurus. "We do indeed have a long way to go." And thus, the journey began. But they hadn't floated very far at all, when on the Niger River Delta specifically the Escravos River they saw their sauropod friend Nigersaurus.
"Hail, Nigersaurus!" exclaimed Stegosaurus. "I hope you are doing well!"
"I am, friend Stegosaurus, Kentrosaurus. I see you are floating on your raft; where do you travel? Stegosaurids are generally not seafaring types .... it must be important for you to get on a raft."
"We are headed to China to visit cousin Wuerhosaurus!!" said Kentrosaurus. "God be praised for protecting us on our long journey to the Orient!"
"Would you like to come with us, Nigersaurus?" asked Stegosaurus. "You are certainly more than welcome to come along."
"Thank you for the offer, but no. The sun is out and I'm really of a mind to stay in this Lazy River in the noonday sun, the Lazy, lazy River where I can linger in the shade of a kind old tree, and then later when I'm hungry eat the top off of it."*
"Very well! Best of the day to you, Nigersaurus! Enjoy your shade, your trees, and your body of water!" said Stegosaurus.
"I will see you when I return," said Kentrosaurus. "God be with you."

Stegosaurus and Kentrosaurus floated forthrightly on the water for a very long time afterward; after many days travel they arrived at Macau, China, the Western side of the Pearl River Delta.
"Here is China," observed Stegosaurus.
"The Lord Jesus Christ be praised; we have safely arrived!" Exclaimed Kentrosaurus with joy. Then, with a pause, "It looks much like any other populated city, but that the boats are slower."
"There's a lot more to it than that," assured Stegosaurus.
"Let us go at once to find Wuerhosaurus," said Kentrosaurus. "I am sure he will be willing to act as our tour guide."
"He is supposed to meet us here in Macau," said Stegosaurus.
"I am sure he will arrive anon," said Kentrosaurus. "In the meantime, look at these beautiful flowers I've just noticed on the side of the road. I'm famished after such a long journey; let us dine."
"That is the Nelumbo nucifera; you are right it has been along journey and we are both very hungry and tired as well, but we cannot eat this flower because..." Stegosaurus was then interrupted.
"That's right! You must not eat that flower!" some one exclaimed. The two hungry Stegosaurids looked up to see their cousin Wuerhosaurus.
"The Nelumbo nucifera is the official flower of the city of Macau. It is also the official State flower of the countries of India and Vietnam. It would be incredibly disrespectful to eat it," said Wuerhosaurus.
"I am sorry to greet you with such a stern warning, but it was important, I assure you. Welcome, cousins! It is so nice to see you both. I am pleased to see you have arrived safely. Come with me. I will give you something that you can eat with out offending the majority of the populace. You must be very hungry indeed after such a long journey."
"Cousin Wuerhosaurus! I am so glad to see you!" said Kentrosaurus.
"No offense taken." assured Stegosaurus. "You are after all native to this land, and know the local customs. Also, you are our guide and we will defer to you on matters of proper protocol."
"Come with me, " said Wuerhosaurus. "Visit my cave, and I will make you both a nice dinner. Yes, Kentrosaurus, you may say grace beforehand."
"Thank you, cousin," said Kentrosaurus.

So it was that the three Stegosaurids stomped to a nearby cave, where a hearty meal was prepared by Wuerhosaurus. "Enjoy," encouraged Wuerhosaurus. "This is not my home cave," said Wuerhosaurus. "Later we shall all travel by slow boat for my home in Tibet. I left my native land of Xinjiang years ago because the climate and temperament of the natives in Tibet agreed with me. No one bothers me coming or going into or out of Tibet; the problems that the mammals have created for themselves, the politics of the region do not affect me; I may come and go as I please."
"How very pleasant," observed Stegosaurus.
"Wuerhosaurus prepared a hearty vegetarian meal for his cousins which consisted of the popular vegetarian dish "Buddah's Delight"; a side dish of almond cake and ginger milk. The Buddah's Delight dish consisted of these main ingredients: Bamboo Shoots, Black Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts, Fried Tofu, Bok Choi, Snow Peas, Carrots, Wood ear, Wheat gluten, Peanuts, Napa Cabbage, Bracken fern tips, and Cauliflower. The Ginkgo nuts were not used, out of respect for Stegosaurus' reverence for that tree, but replaced with Chinese celery. When the food was presented, with permission Kentrosaurus began his prayer thus:

"Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for this food which we are about to receive, which is but one of the blessings you have given us this fine day. Stegosaurus and I are grateful for the friendship and camaraderie of our cousin Wuerhosaurus who is a gracious host. We pray you bless this cave and its inhabitant, all of his land, and all of his life, and we are grateful for this day as any day on this wonderful world you have made and given us, upon which we have lived for millions of years. Amen, Amen, Amen."
"Thank you, Kentrosaurus," said Wuerhosaurus. "Now I will share with you the prayer that we Buddists pray before dinner."
With that, Wuerhosuarus chanted "Om, Ah, Hum" three times, took a deep breath, and then he said:

"Guru is Buddha, Guru is Dharma,
Guru is Sangha also.
Guru is the originator of all (goodness and happiness).
To all Gurus, I make this offering.

You, whose body was formed by a million perfect virtues,
Whose speech fulfils the hopes of all beings,
Whose mind perceives all that is to be known,
To the prince of the Shakyas I make this offering.

The supreme teacher, the precious Buddha,
The supreme practice, the holy precious Dharma,
The supreme guide, the precious Sangha,
To all of the objects of refuge, I make this offering.

May we and those around us, in all future lives,
Never be separated from the Three Jewels,
Continuously make offerings to the Three Jewels,
And receive the inspiration of the Three Jewels.

Om, Ah, Hum."

After which, the three Stegosaurids ate happily; and then after dinner Wuerhosaurus performed a short ceremony. Having gathered some water in a bowl, he said: "Cousins, if you'd like, please visualize with me, the deity Yeshe Karda above, flowing nectar from his body into this bowl of water." and then he recited the heart mantra of Yeshe Karda, "OM JNANA AVALOKITE SAMANTA PARANA RAMI BAWA SAMAYA MAHA MANI DURU DURU HRIH DAYA JALANI SOHA!" Then, Wuerhosaurus discarded the water in the bowl as an offering, gathered more water, and repeated the mantra seven times. Then, he recited the following prayer:

“This ocean of water appears as nectar to all the pretas that the omniscient mind sees. All the pretas see it as an ocean of milk, they drink it and are fully satisfied. It liberates them from all sufferings, including the specific sufferings of the pretas, causes of delusion, karma, and defilements. These are all purified and they actualize the whole path to enlightenment.”

"This is divine food," Wuerhosaurus continued; all who drink it, all who live in it are blessed and purified to achieve a higher rebirth. Each preta who receives this word will be blessed, and his or her hunger shall be fully satisfied; their rebirth shall be on a higher plane, their advancement secured."

"Excuse me for asking," said Stegosaurus, but what is a preta?"

"I will gladly explain to you the knowledge you seek," said Wuerhosaurus. "The pretas are the deceased; they are supernatural beings that cannot be seen on this plane except in certain cases where one's mental state is removed from this reality. They are, therefore for the most part invisible to us, but they suffer greatly the perils of metaphysical, or spiritual starvation. They are, without this blessing prevented from achieving knowledge of and advancement to the higher planes of existence."

"So, this is an effort to help them along their spiritual journey?" asked Kentrosaurus.

"Yes, cousin. Yes, it is." said Wuerhosaurus. Then he said, "Come, cousins. Let us enjoy the New Year festival. I have knowledge that a public parade is about to begin, and we can all take part in it. I am so glad you are come here to celebrate with me. February 8th marked the Chinese year of the Monkey, which, by our lunar calendar is the year 4714. Let us go out and mingle among the mammals; we'll fit right in at the Dragon festival I believe."

The three Stegosaurids stomped out of the cave where they had their repast til they arrived again at the city of Mancau. As night fell and the moon appeared in view, they then saw a parade of mammals coming anon down the street who were celebrating the festival of the Dragon, and as Wuerhosaurus predicted they fit right in. Accompanied by a fireworks display, they paraded down the street with some of the Macanese climbing up on their backs. A group of Macanese mammals danced as they carried the traditional Dragon made of paper and silk through the streets, even beside the Stegosaurids. It was very loud, but colourful, and everyone involved enjoyed themselves immensely.

The very next morning all three Stegosaurids got into Wuerhosaurus' slow boat and floated slowly, yet forthrightly to the land of Tibet, in order to visit Wuerhosarurus' adopted homeland. "Welcome to the largest port in all of Tibet," said Wuerhosaurus. "This is known as the land of Zham. From here the country exports goods to Nepal in India. I moved here because the climate is subtropical. I'm sure we all agree this situation is ideal." Stegosaurus and Kentrosaurus nodded.
When the boat reached land, the three Stegosaurids gladly exited the boat and then stomped up a fair bit of rocky hill side until they reached a small, unassuming cave roughly a mile up from the seashore.

"Welcome to my humble abode, cousins!" said Wuerhosaurus. "It isn't much, but I like it. I would be pleased if you'd accept some butter tea, which is a traditional drink of hospitality here in Tibet.

"Of course, we'd be honored," said Kentrosaurus, speaking for his cousin ... which Stegosaurus didn't object to, because it was polite, and besides that he was thirsty after the long, slow journey.
"I've been working on brewing this tea for the last half day," said Wuerhosaurus. "It should be ready about now, since I started this morning. After it was done steeping, I added some salt, strained it, added the butter, and churned it to the proper consistency. Then it was transferred to this copper pot here, and kept warm over coals."

"How long has this been the tradition in your country?" asked Kentrosaurus.

"Between the 10th and 13th centuries, which is a long time for mammals," observed Wuerhosaurus.
"I see some Juniperus, of the family Cupressaceae," observed Stegosaurus. "Do you mind if I eat some of it?"
"You may have some," said Wuerhosaurus. "..... but this wood has been gathered here in order that it be burned to please the God of the house. The God of the house is pho-lha, and he protects this abode." Thus, shortly the room was shortly filled with the pleasant smell of burning wood, and all three decided to enjoy a meal of Juniper with their butter tea as they relaxed and enjoyed the company of each other.


* lyrics to "( up a ) Lazy River" by Sidney Arodin and Hoagy Carmichael, 1930.