Beijing

I have been back from Beijing for about two weeks now, so I guess I'm past due on a blog post. Our days were so jam packed that I'm going to have to use my journal for help remembering everything that we did. (just a heads up this trip was a full week, compared to my four day post before. so it's probably going to be really long. read or don't read. at least enjoy the pictures)

 

Here. We. Go.

 

Friday April 30: With our bags already packed and in hand we left right after teaching to the bus station to go to Guangzhou. We weren't taking any chance of us missing our train this time. We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare and no problems along the way. I must say we are becoming pro at traveling in a foreign country. Boarding time finally comes and I have no idea what to expect on this train. To our luck it was quite nice. We got hard sleeper beds, but hard they were not. They were softer than our beds in our apartment. They are stacked 3 high on each side in a cabin. It worked out perfectly for the six of us to all be together. The train ride was 21 hours long. So on to...

 

Saturday May 1: The night on the train wasn't too bad. Trying to fall asleep was a little hard, I was paranoid that some asian was going to come and steal all of my stuff. But then I got over it and fell asleep. We got off the train around one o'clock and trekked our way to the hostel, from bus to subway, to walking. We stayed at the Candy Inn. It was way nice for a cheap little hostel. We all stayed in one room with three bunk beds that were once again soft.

 

 

After checking in we waisted no time sitting around we headed straight to the Pearl Market for some shopping. It definitely was overwhelming and crazy as you walked down the isle and all you hear is.."you want to buy a purse? come take a look inside. i give you best price. i have best quality..." and so on. We did make it out alive and with some good loot in hand.

 

Sunday May 2: We thought we could master the Great Wall on our own. Fail. So here in China, the first three days are May Holiday. And you can imagine how crazy it is with all the people. I don't think I've seen so many people in my life before. We made it to bus station where every bus there takes you to the Great Wall. But it was like Disneyland on the worst day possible, times 100! There were so many lines. Lines for a seat. Lines for standing. We couldn't even find the end of either of them. And we didn't even know how long it would be before we got on a bus and then the fact of waiting in line at the Great Wall to come home. So we turned around and went home and booked a tour through the hostel. We ended the day by going to an acrobatic show. Amazing. They have crazy strength and flexibility it's unreal. 

 

Then at the very end they bring out this huge metal ball. And the put a motor cycler in there, and then two...three...and then four. I was in awe..then yup a fifth motorcycle comes out and gets into the globe. 5 motorcycles! 

 

Monday May 3: A successful day getting to the Great Wall. Our tour guide came to pick us up at 8. It being the last day of the Holiday we had to get an early start to beat the crowds. First stop: Great Wall. We had about an hour and a half to explore and climb on our own time. Some of those steps are really steep! But it was amazing to be there and see it for myself! It truly is the GREAT WALL.

 

After that Lily our tour guide took us to the Ming tombs. We only got to see one considering there are 13 within the mountain range. But it was really interesting to hear all the facts and reasons of how and why it was built, with all the culture in it.

 

 

We also went to a Jade factory. And then to lunch. After lunch we hit up a Silk factory and we got to see how silk is made. That was really cool. Everything was so soft and pretty. It was a fun filled day, with way more than we expected.

 

Tuesday May 4: This day involved a lot of walking. (everyday does, but it was so filled i think my feet hated me for it) We went to the Summer Palace. It is amazingly beautiful and amazing huge. With it being 2.9 square kilometers, and three quarters of that is water. You can imagine how little we saw, and how much we didn't. We didn't have a tour guide, so we missed out on hearing cool facts about it. But just seeing it was incredible. It was definitely one of my favorite places. 

 

Wednesday May 5: Another shopping day. It threatened and rained for most of the morning. Courtney, Kristen, and I had an adventure finding a flea market. And by the time we got there the day had cleared into a beautiful sunny day! We got some goodies for a great deal. 

 

 

After our time there we met up with the other girls at the Pearl Market. And then found ourselves a Cold Stone. It was heavenly. And it tasted just like home. So yummy!

 

Thursday May 6: Right next to our hostel was the Lama Temple. So we thought we couldn't stay right next to this place and not see it. Inside there is the biggest Buddha carved out of a single piece of sandalwood. It even made Guinness book of world records! It was a little weird to be there and see everyone worship there. (here is the best sneaky picture we could get of it, just so you have an idea of how huge this this is...but no pictures..so shhhhh)

 

 

We then headed to the Temple of Heaven. This temple is where the Emperor would pray for rain to have good harvest for their crops. This place had a real fun atmosphere where tons of people where dancing, singing, playing hack-e-sack and interacting with others.

                            

 

Then we went to the Olympic Park! It was awesome to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube and Torch in real life instead of on tv!

 

 

Friday May 7: CATELIN'S BIRTHDAY! We woke up early and headed to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Which once again was massive and incredible. I can't even describe how big it was. 

 

After that we had to pack all of our stuff and get on another train to Xi'an. This is where the Terra Cotta Warriors are. It was an over night trip and we go there bright and early.

 

Saturday May 8: We made it to the hostel which was super nice for just a little place. We took a little rest and then headed off to see the famous warriors. It wasn't like anything I expected at all. It was amazing to see how many there are and how many the are still to be uncovered. 

 

 

Sunday May 9: We hung out at the hostel for the morning and then we were taken to the airport to fly home. (i must say i love airports. a lot less creepy people there and much cleaner. and i feel a lot more safe!)

 

It was an awesome trip fun filled with adventure! There was so much to see and do, and I'm so glad we got to do most everything on our list! Beijing was an amazing place and I would definitely go there again someday!