Friday, November 26, 2010

Title: China


China was incredible! The ship docked in Hong Kong for 2 days and then sailed to Shanghai and stayed there for 2 days. It took 2 days for the ship to get to Shanghai but we had the option to travel over land and meet the ship so we had a total of 6 days in China. I decided to travel with some friends to Beijing to see the Great Wall of China and then meet the ship in Shanghai.

We spent the first day in Hong Kong. We went shopping at a market for a little while and then went to a temple. The temple was really cool and looked like typical Chinese architecture. We walked through the gardens and all around the temple. Then we took a train up to the peak of a mountain with a great view of the city. It was nighttime and the city was all light up. It was a beautiful view. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time there because we had dinner plans. Nancy’s family friends live in Hong Kong and they invited us over for dinner. They had a cook who prepared dinner for us and it was wonderful. We were all really excited to have a home cooked meal. We talked with them for a while and they told us all about living in Hong Kong. They had 3 kids. The oldest girl was 17 and the boys were around 10 and 12 I think. They’ve traveled all over the world and it was very fun talking with them.

The next morning we got up and ate breakfast and then went to catch our train to Beijing. Our group consisted of Kathryn, Sam, Tam and me. Several hundred students on the ship did a tour of the Great Wall through the China Guide. The China Guide cost $750 for 3 nights and they got to sleep on the Great Wall. A vast majority of the students on the ship either did that trip or a Semester at Sea trip. Our group wanted to save money so we did it independently. Plane tickets from Hong Kong to Beijing started at $300 so we decided to take a train. The train was 24 hours from Hong Kong to Beijing but it only cost $85 for a sleeper so we decided to do that. Tam and Sam ended up getting normal seats because they were only $50 and they wanted to save money. Kathryn and I decided to spend the extra money and go for the sleepers. The hard sleeper seats were 3 bunks high and we got the top bunks. The train ride wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought. We slept for the first couple of hours and then we got up and ate dinner. They went around selling food so we bought some and it wasn’t bad. The 2 Chinese guys below us started talking to us and asking us about the U.S. and we asked them about China and it was interesting. Later that night they taught us how to play Chinese poker. Kathryn and I didn’t really understand but they were helping us. At 10 pm they turn the lights out and we went to sleep. We slept until around 10 the next morning and then we got up and found Sam and Tam. We talked to them for a while and then went to the restaurant section of the train and ate lunch. A couple hours later we were there and it wasn’t bad at all. My only complaint is the bathrooms. They only had squat toilets. I have made it this whole trip so far without using a squat toilet and China was the last country where it would be an issue but I had to breakdown and use one. In 24 hours I had to go to the bathroom and there was no other option so that was unfortunate.

We got to Beijing and it was freezing! We checked into our hostel, which was really nice. They had very clean rooms and bathrooms so we were pleased. We got changed, bundled up and went to Tianamen Square and looked around. We also wandered through some gardens and enjoyed the evening. We had to be back at the hostel by 6:30 so we could go see an acrobatic show. The show was pretty good. They managed to fit 5 motorcycles into a big sphere, which was really impressive. We got dinner next at a small little hole in the wall restaurant and it was delicious! We all ordered food and just shared everything and it was so good!

We ended up signing up for a tour of the Great Wall and they picked us up at 7:30 am. It was close to a 2 hour drive to the wall. Once we got there, we had the option to take a ski lift up or a cable car. We went with the ski lift and the view was awesome. We had 3 hours to walk around and hike the wall. We went slow and took lots of pictures. It was so beautiful and we had a great time. There were a bunch of Chinese military guys there touring the wall and they kept asking to take pictures with us. It was so funny. I think it’s because of our blonde hair. We were excited to take pictures with them too though so it worked out. After we finished walking around the wall, we tobogganed down to the bottom. It was so fun! We went to lunch with our tour group, which consisted of around 10 people. I was talking to one couple who told me they had just moved to Oregon from Hawaii and I told them I went to school in Hawaii last year. It turns out the lady’s sister was my biology teacher last year and she’s one of my favorite teachers! I loved that biology class and it was one of my favorite classes ever. We were so excited to meet each other.

We went back to the hostel after the Great Wall and gathered our stuff and Kathryn and I went to the train station. The two of us had to get back a day early but Sam and Tam were staying another night. Kathryn and I took an overnight train to Shanghai. I had an FDP, which is basically a field trip for a class, for my social issues class and Kathryn had to register for classes so we needed to get back. This train was a lot nicer and we had our own tvs. Unfortunately, the couple below us had a baby that cried a lot and they talked all night long. I was very mad because they kept waking me up. We made it back to the ship and ate lunch before heading out. We went to a market and shopped for a little while. The market was really cool and looked Chinese. We went to dinner and then Kathryn and I decided to go up in the big space needle, as well called it. It’s actually called the Pearl Tower or something like that. The view from the top was amazing. We really enjoyed it.

On the last day in Shanghai I had my FDP. We went to an urban planning museum and then met with a businessman who talked about renewable energy in Shanghai. It was pretty interesting. We ended up finishing early so I still had a little time before on ship time. I went shopping once again and I bought some fake UGG boots and a duffle bag so I can fit all the stuff I bought home with me. Shanghai is a great city. It’s humongous and there’s so much to do. I’d love to come back someday.

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