Click on this picture to link to all my China pics.Well, it's a week late, but better late than never, right?!!? Hard to believe that I've actually been back an entire week... man, how time flies!
I recently got back from a week long trip to China. I flew out of Moline - Chicago - Beijing. It was 13+ hrs from Chicago to Beijing, but was luckily up in Economy Plus - loved the leg room. The flight was actually tolerable - similar to my flights to Australia. I guess I probably expected the worse and was pleasantly suprised. :)
The cab ride to the airport was a quick introduction to China - it was insane! Traffic is crazy - lots of swerving, honking, braking... you really don't want to sit up front. Our 1 1/2 cab ride only cost $15. Everything was super cheap in China. They use the Yuan, so 6-7 CYN = $1, or 1 CYN = 15 cents. So, when we bought super cold/frozen water in Tianamen Square for 3 CYN, it was 45 cents. Yeah!!
China is a fascinating country and Beijing is so full of rich history & culture. Did I love it?? Don't think I know enough about it to 'love' it, but I was quite fascinated with it and would love to go back... does that answer the question?!?
Our first tour day was Thursday - we headed over to the Summer Palace, took a boat ride back across the pond, then went to lunch. Sadly, ate at KFC - it's everywhere! And the largest one in the world is across the street from Tianamen Square. I'm not sure the 'C' stand for chicken in China... I'm wondering 'cat'... haha! Really, the only reason I went there was (1) air conditioning and (2) thebathrooms. So, I was 1 for 2 on that prediction - the a/c was great, the toliets, not so much. China doesn't have normal 'western' toliets in many public locales... they have squatters. I have a pic in my link... ladies - work on your squats before you come over... and bring your own TP and hand sanitizer.
I would compare the weather similar to the midwest - hot & HUMID!! Wow... we knew we were sweating TONS when we were chugging down water but no one really had to pee much. There was quite a layer of smog over the city, so that was pretty much the only thing between us & the sun... many people carried umbrellas/parasols to protect themselves.
After KFC, we headed over to Tianamen Square & then into the Forbidden City. It was HUGE!! It felt like it kept going and going and going... and just when you thought you were done, there were beautiful gardens, meticulously trimmed and preserved.
We headed to an indoor market next where you could find any knock-off anything your little heart (and pocket book) desired... shoes, purses, North Face, jewelry, pearls.... 6 floors of shopping heaven. Even down on the bottom floor you could buy yourself a new suitcase and then fill it up on the next 5 floors. Lots of wheelin' and dealin' went on there.
The food was quite interesting in China... we had lots of it... all family style on lazy susans. Some of it was what we would consider 'normal' chinese food... other stuff, not so much. All with chopsticks... so you either figured those out, or went on the chopstick diet. :) It was nice to be able to try all sorts of things... and it always created interesting discussions around the table as everyone shared... you all felt part of the meal... it was nice.
The icky food you see is from the night market we went to. Just about any creepy-crawly-slimy thing you could think of they put on a stick, fried it up in oil, put some seasoning on it and called it a snack... NO GRACIAS! A couple of people I was with ate the scorpions, which by the way were alive if you looked at the sticks close enough, you'd see their legs move...uck! One guy even ate a tarantula... guess they all tasted like crunchy potato chips... yeah, again, NO THANKS!!
Saturday was a big day as well. First stop in the morning was the Temple of Heaven Park where many people were doing Tai Chi, singing and dancing, playing hackey-sack... it was just a lovely garden where many, many locals would come and relax, hang out, stay cool. After that, we headed to the Wall, the Great Wall of China that is. Sadly we ate at McDonalds before hiking up there.
The road up there was amazing. Winding up through the mountains - reminded me a bit of Colorado...so green and gorgeous. We had a couple options once we hit the car park and hiked up thru all the shops/vendors. We could hike 20+ minutes straight up hill on stairs to reach the Wall. Or, you could take the Gondola up... Gondola it is. What a beautiful site it was to see the Wall amongst the haze for the 1st time... breath-taking. From there, we headed quite a ways along the wall thru many guard posts. The steps varied from normal to mini. There were vendors on the wall selling super-cold water, beer, Snickers... and all reasonably priced. Originally she wanted 20 CYN for 1 bottle of water, but when I told her I needed 2 and only had a 12, I got them anyways. :) A tad higher than the bottom, but as they say, "Location, location, location."
We had originally planned to hike down from the wall, but kept going and ended at the next Gondola locale only to find the Luge. Yes, I took the luge down from the Great Wall. It's similar to Alpine sliding in Colorado. You're on a plastic sled with a gear shift between your feet/legs that you pull back to slow down & push fwd to go fast on a metal track. Around every corner was a Chinese man yelling "Brake, Brake." Whatever dude, I'm outta here! It was amazing - wish I had taken a video. It was such a nice surprise!
After a quick drive by of the Olympic stadium (Bird's Nest) and the Cube, a quick shower felt great before our Peking Duck dinner. Again, tons of food, great dinner conversation with amazing people.
Sadly, Sunday was departure day. Had to say good-bye to all my new friends and to a country that grows on you. The people were so friendly. Never once, in all the gaggle of people, did I feel unsafe, or that someone would pick-pocket me. I really wish I knew some Chinese because I felt quite restricted by the language barrier. I know Ni hao (hello) and XieXie (thank you)... that's it. I would love to go back, and luckily am. I'll be going over in March to visit Eric, Lori & the boys for Spring Break. Weather should be much improved and now I have a much better idea of what to expect. I would even be tempted to take students because I think it's such an unknown culture that everyone has an opinion about... and it's typically the wrong opinion. Nothing like trying to breakdown stereotypes when you travel. :) I would recommend China to people - it was eye opening, as all travel should be. I met some amazing people with whom I experienced and saw many amazing things. China, and all my new friends will always hold a special place in my heart.
Needless to say, it's been an outstanding summer for me. Not only did I get the opportunity to share my beloved Spain with some great students, I was also afforded the chance of a lifetime to travel to China with other teachers and travel gurus. I am so grateful for both opportunities!! Both different experiences - one definitely within my comfort level and one definitely outside my normal comfort zone. Neither one better than the other, but both eye-opening and life changing. Wouldn't have traded either experience for just about anything.
Thanks again for reading and following along with my blog this summer! I appreciate all your comments, support & prayers.
Stay tuned - never know where in the world Cedric & I will explore next!! :)
Hugs ~ steph :)
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
"Too often travel, insted of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation."
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on deep and permanent in the ideas of living."
"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey."
