Thailand Slideshow

There were too many Thailand pictures to put alongside my

blog - so I thought I would try a mini-slideshow...

http://flickr.com/gp/sarahperry51618/608FNW

These are pictures that help explain my blog posts from Bangkok and Phuket!

Ko Phi Phi Island

For our last stop in Thailand, Amanda and I took an hour and a half long boat ride to the gorgeous island off the shore of Phuket, called Ko Phi Phi Island. Ko Phi Phi is the most beautiful places I have ever visited!

The giant island/landmasses, look like tropical mountains, and effortlessly jut out of the crystal clear water! I have never seen such transparent bluish, turquoise water. And the sand was extremely white – the whole scene was truly tropical paradise!

We arrived in Ko Phi Phi with no accommodations, but knew that would not be a problem, since people were always shouting at us from the sides of the roads in Thailand and trying to sell us things. Sure enough, crowds of Thai approached us as soon as we got off the boat, saying “stay in our hotel”, “go snorkeling with us”…

Amanda and I quickly found a nice air conditioned, beach side hotel and a tour to take us snorkeling!

Snorkeling was so much fun! I had never been snorkeling before and absolutely loved it! We went on a snorkeling “tour” that took us to 5 or 6 different islands on a wooden, motored, banana boat. First we went to “Monkey Mountain”, where we were able to go interact with the monkeys that lived there. Long story short - Amanda was getting a picture with one and it bit her! The bite bruised instantly and she was pretty shook up. She was okay, but needless to say, we jumped back on our boat and headed to the next location.

Next we stopped at the most breathtaking “swimming hole”. Our banana boat driver led us into an enclosed swimming area that was surrounded with mountains towering out of the glassy blue water.

Next was the actual snorkeling. The water was so clear that I could see all the fish and coral perfectly beneath me. Mounds and mounds of coral, came to life right in front of my eyes! It was crazy to see the live coral completely undisturbed by my snorkeling intrusion. And the fish swam all around me! Not dull, ugly, brown and gray fish – the fish I saw and swam beside were the most gorgeous of neon colors – bright blue, yellow, and orange!

We ended our island tour by going to Maya Island (where the movie ‘The Beach’ was filmed). Our banana boat let us off on one side of the island – we had to climb up and over rocks, make a short trek across the island, to arrive at the opening of Maya Island. I truly cannot explain how beautiful it was – only pictures can do it justice! So check out the pictures I post!

The day ended with watching the sunset in our banana boat!

Festival - Elephant Trekking - Hot Oil Massage

After updating the blog at 5AM - I went outside our hostel to watch the Vegetarian Festival activities and parade...the Vegetarian Festival is held for nine days - ALL day long! The street outside our hostel is filled with people dressed in all white, which is suppose to symbolize cleanliness. People fill the sides of the streets selling all kinds of meatless food - mostly fried vegetables and fried dough. In the middle of the street, nearly all day long, people parade doing different ritual activities. At 8:30AM there was the self-mortification, where men would pierce their faces with object of all sorts - knives, metal rodes, guns! It was crazy! Women would parade down the street in bare feet, chanting and bowing down to Buddha statues and shrines stationed along the street. At around 11:00AM there were men parading a huge paper dragon up the street and people would put money in the "dragons" mouth! Then around 1:00 I thought there was an army/war outside our hostel! For a good hour people paraded up the street carrying Buddha statues and setting off fire crackers! The people on the side of the street were all down on the ground, with the food they were selling covered - protecting themselves and the food from the debris of the firecrackers and fireworks! The whole Vegetarian Festival had been such a cultural and crazy experience (I can't wait to post my pictures!) Even now, at 8:00PM people are still setting off the occasional firecracker, outside playing music and enjoying tons of fried festival food!

In between life at the hostel and the Vegetarian Festival, Amanda and I had a full day...Amanda wasn't feeling well, so while she was sleeping in, I took a bus to Patong Beach and enjoyed the beach for a few hours (I love going to the beach in late October!)

Then at 2:00, Amanda and I went Elephant Trekking! We went to a nearby "safari park" and rode elephants! It was so awesome! Elephants are amazing creatures - I was amazed at how they had been trained to sit and stand and even perform! Then after elephant trekking we went to an elephant show, where part of the show was getting an "elephant massage" - I was asked to lay on my stomach and the elephant tapped on my back with his huge foot! Then the elephant gave me a "kiss" with his trunk! The trekking was a bumpy ride, but Amanda and I laughed and enjoyed watching the elephant as he climbed the muddy hillsides and tried to eat plants with his trunk!

After elephant trekking we came back to Phuket Town and got hot oil massages! 60 minute massages for $15USD - it was so relaxing and so needed! Amanda and I laughed because we were willing to pay $15 for a massage, but only $11 to spend the night at our hostel!

Phuket Town

Amanda and I arrived in Phuket yesterday, we took a quick 1 hour flight from Bangkok to Phuket and then nearly an hour bus ride to our hostel in Phuket Town. Phuket is known for its glamourous beaches and has become very touristy and commercialized over the past decade - so Amanda and I decided to really experience the culture and stay away from the tourist packed beaches, in the southeastern part of Phuket.

We are staying at "Backpacker Hostel" in Phuket Town - this is where I am updating my blog now, thanks to the free internet! This is my first hostel experience, and I am loving it! It is pretty nice for a hostel - great location, great common area/living room with community chairs, kitchen, big screen TV with a wide DVD selection! I couldn't really sleep last night - so I just got up at 5AM and took a shower in our ghetto hostel bathroom - the toilet and shower are right next to each other...no shower curtain, or really seperate shower at all...there is a hot water heater to heat the water, and the sink drains into an open pipe that empties out on the floor! There is no A/C, because Amanda and I are cheap - so we are paying $11 USD a night for a fanned room.

The location is great and the atmosphere is even better! Our hostel is on the main street in Phuket Town, and right now it is the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket. The Festival celebrates the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat cleanses the body. Last night when Amanda and I toured the main street of Phuket Town for dinner we were bombarded with meatless-fried food options! We ate fried spiral potatoe on a stick, fried donut-like bread balls, corn on the cob, and fresh fruit...

Today we are going to watch a very exciting/gruesome part of the festival...a ceremony to "invoke the gods" where people partake in firewalking, body piercing and other acts of self mortification. Men and women puncture their cheeks with various items including knives, skewers and other household items. It is believed that the Chinese gods will protect such persons from harm, and little blood or scarring results from such mutilation acts!

Considering I can't even watch people give blood at blood drives...I don't know how long I'll last...but I'll try to get a few pictures!

"Yes I'm Fine - No I don't need a Tuk Tuk"

Best part of Bangkok was for sure the location of out hotel and the street vendors selling delicious spring rolls and fresh fruit. All of our meals have been around $1-$3 USD! So cheap! I also loved the Grand Palace, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Reclining Buddha...

However, what I didn't like about Bangkok were the "tuk-tuk" drivers and the con-artists! Around the touristy areas of Bangkok - exactly where we were - it is the hunting ground for professional con artists! And Amanda and I, as two white girls...we stand out and practically shout "foreigner"!

Slick talking men would come up to us, in English, and start complimenting us, asking where we are from, asking how long we've been here, asking where we are going, asking if we need help, asking if we are lost...and then they tell us that the sight we are going to see is closed for the day. Then after telling us that our chosen destination is closed, they offer to take us on a boat ride and can arrange a bargain tour for the day...

Thankfully I had bought a tourist book that warned against such scams but, this happened so many times! Finally, Amanda and I were like "Yes, we know, it's closed...we don't need your help" - ahhhh leave us alone!

Then there were the "tuk-tuk" drivers who are out to make a commission by dragging tourists to a local silk or jewelry shop, when you have requested an entirely different location! The "tuk-tuk" drivers will offer you a ride for $5 or $10 Baht and then drive you to some completely obscure location! The men driving the "tuk-tuk's" would say..."tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk, excuse me miss, where are you going....$10 Baht, $10 Baht...excuse me miss where are you from where are you going....Big Buddha...no it's closed...tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk"!

"Yes I'm Fine - No I don't need a Tuk Tuk"

Bangkok was amazing - and 2 days was definitely enough to see and do everything we wanted to. I had experienced Bangkok and was so ready to head off to our next destination in Thailand...Phuket!

Lost in Bangkok

So it was bound to happen...we get lost! We must have disrespected the Buddhist gods, because our luck was horrible! However, it makes a great story...so here we go...

Amanda and I woke up to enjoy another day in Bangkok. First we decided to go back to Wat Pho - to see the huge reclining Buddha that we realized we missed...

After Wat Pho, Amanda and I jumped in a taxi to take us across the river to the Temple of Dawn...an hour later, after never crossing any river, the taxi driver stops in the middle of traffic, points to the side of the road and a monument nearby and motions for us to get out - we obviously were not in the right place and we had no idea where we were! Amanda and I had been warned of dishonest cabbies who would take you for a ride around the city so they could earn a few extra Baht! This cabbie got us, $120 Baht later - we were stuck somewhere in Bangkok!

So Amanda and I get out of the taxi and ask the people on the side of the road where we are...well turns out we are in the middle of the main metropolitan of Bangkok, completely on the other side of the map compared to where we told the taxi man to drive us!

So Amanda and I figure out we can take the above ground subway, called the SkyTrain to a few more sights around the city. In the city we saw the Erawan Shrine and our first McDonald's in Thailand - we even got a picture with Ronald holding his hands together and bowing, like every devout Thai.

Amanda and I jump back on the SkyTrain to go to a local market and shopping street - and then it happened...Amanda and I got off the SkyTrain interchange station to transfer to the next train...and we lost each other. Amanda ended up crossing the station platform and quickly jumping on another train she thought was ours, while I headed down the escalator! "Where is Amanda...where is Amanda?" She is shorter than me and has brown hair, so she isn't really easy to spot.

We lost each other! After a half an hour of waiting to see if she would come back and searching the station I was at, I decided to just go back to out hotel - I figured she would have to come back eventually! So, luckily I found a lady who spoke English and she instructed me to go to a nearby hotel, she said "Just walk in like you are a guest there, look in the souvenir shop, look like you are going to buy something, just walk around for a while, and then ask them to call you a cab. Don't hail a taxi - they will probably just take you for a ride!" I knew she was right, so I did it - I went to this really nice hotel, they called me a cab, and an hour later...I was back to our hotel!

Long story short is that Amanda came back to the hotel too - and when we saw each other we just laughed and laughed and laughed!

At night Amanda and I were sure to stay close to each other as we explored the night markets and ate more delicious spring rolls! Oh Thailand...

MuayThai Boxing

Amanda and I ended our night in Bangkok by going to see Muay Thai Boxing at Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium. There were 10 rounds - five fights in each round. And the headliner fight was round 7!

Amanda and I are cheap, so we decided to buy the outer circle - 3rd class - seats! This is where all of the Thai men who are gambling and betting on the fights stand, yell, and throw their hands in the air, screaming out their next bet and yelling for their chosen boxer! The environment was intense to say the least!

Amanda and I sat on the outer edge of all the men betting and screaming and were able to sit down to both enjoy the fights and also to be entertained my the shouting Thai men!

While watching the Mauy Thai Boxing I saw so many high-kicks to the ribs, it was sick! And every kick to the rib and every hook to the jaw was followed by an echoing "Ah, Ah" from the routy Thai gamblers.

Thailand Journey...Beginning in Bangkok

I'm writing this blog post from a hostel in Phuket Thailand! But first, let me tell you about about Bangkok...

Amanda (a fellow Mountaineer, who is also studying at a different university in Hong Kong this semester) and I left for Bangkok Tuesday night. After the easiest and most amazing plane flight we took a taxi to our hotel. The hotel itself wasn't much, but the location was awesome! It was like a little backpacker haven, with streets of restaurants, bars and street vendors - selling everything Thai and delicious! Fried rice noodles, fresh fruit in a bag, fresh fruit smoothies, and Amanda and I's favorite...spring rolls with sweet and spicy Thai sauce!

Our accommodations were also a ten minute walk from the most famous sights in Bangkok...The Grand Palace, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Pha Kaew), and Wat Pho.

The Grand Palace is where the former king of Thailand used to live and it is right beside The Temple of the Emerald Buddha - which was breathtaking! The temple itself is covered with colorful glass-like tiles. Some of the tiles were colored and mirror-like, reflecting the sun and making the temple shine. The ornamentation of the temple is to rever the Emerald Buddha that is housed inside!

Behind The Grand Palace and The Emerald Buddha is Bangkok's oldest and largest temple, Wat Pho. Wat Pho houses the Thailand's biggest reclining Buddha, 46m long and 15m high - this position illustrates the passage of Buddha into final nirvana. However, at the time, Amanda and I didn't know this temple was where the huge reclining Buddha was, and we missed it! We didn't even see the huge Buddha, you "cannot miss"! So we had to go back the next morning - and it was so worth it!

The Buddha was really huge and really amazing to see. The huge female Buddha is made out of plaster around a brick core and finished in gold leaf. The biggest, golden Buddha I've ever seen! The feet of the Buddha were also huge and covered with mother-of-pearl. The mother-of-pearl was in a textile/design displaying 108 different characteristics of Buddha!

The rest of our day was dedicated to more sightseeing around Bangkok. We saw the City Pillar Shrine, Democracy Monument, and the Golden Mount - which is a temple that overlooks the city of Bangkok.

Then we ended our day with...Muay Thai Boxing!

Ocean Park

This weekend I went to the famous Ocean Park in Hong Kong. Ocean Park, is a marine themed amusement park offering tourists and locals the thrills of roller coasters, and the relaxation of viewing sea creatures and pandas.

Ocean Park is built into the “mountainside” and coast of Hong Kong, so as I rode around and around on the roller coaster, my view from the coaster tracks was of Hong Kong beaches, ocean water, and gorgeous, lush mountainsides!

Ocean Park was a lot of fun! I absolutely love aquariums! Viewing all the huge, colorful fish and ocean life was my favorite part of day! I loved seeing sharks, huge sting rays, fluorescent jelly fish, and all the unique fish!

Ocean Park is also known in October for its haunted houses! At night Ocean Park is filled with “ghosts” and “ghouls”! We didn’t stay for the thrill of the haunted houses, because just walking through the park with all the scary monsters and creepy creatures was enough!

The best “monster” was a guy dressed in black face paint and tattered clothing, with blood and the whole “gory” costume…but with the addition of knee and wrist pads. So he would sling himself across the ground on his knee and wrist pads, making the scariest grinding sound! I screamed so loud and ran so fast when this creature slung himself at my feet!

Other than Ocean Park, I have been keeping busy in Hong Kong with school, midterm projects, papers, and presentation.

I leave for Thailand in 2 days! I am so excited! Many more adventures and blog posts to come! 

Funny Story

Today I had to do an interview with a manager of a local business in Hong Kong for a group assignment. The interview was in Central - the main, city part of Hong Kong.  So after the interview I decided to get some dinner.

I was excited because Central has a lot of delicious western food, that I never eat during the week. Since my regular meals at Lingnan University’s canteen consists of steamed rice, vegetables, and soy sauce, I was looking forward to the delicious “Greek” restaurant, that served spicy, salad and feta filled wraps!  It was a small side restaurant with just 10 or 12 chairs and only 6 tables, located right off the street…

As I was enjoying my Greek wrap for dinner, I was also writing a paper that is due next week. I was pretending like I was at Panera, studying and eating at the same time.

So next I get up to get a Diet Coke, and while I am at the counter, an older Chinese woman comes into the restaurant asking for money. I was at the front of the restaurant and didn’t even realize the woman was there since I was waiting on my Diet Coke…

Diet Coke in hand, I returned to my work and my table…

But my delicious wrap, which I was only half done eating, was gone!

“Oh my gosh, I though…that woman took my sandwich!”

Then in shock, I said it out loud, “That woman stole my sandwich!”

Then I just started laughing! The restaurant employees were really upset and were going to go try to find the lady, but I insisted it was “fine”. “It’s okay, It’s okay…” I kept saying in the middle of laughing…

I was so shocked that the lady actually stole my half eaten sandwich that I couldn’t be upset. I could just imagine her thought process, “No one is giving me money…I’m hungry…no one is sitting here…there is a sandwich all alone on the table…I’m going to take it…”

HaHaHa! Then…a lady from across the small restaurant offered to buy me another sandwich and she said she felt like it was her fault that the woman took my sandwich, since she didn’t give the woman any money!

I just smiled and said, “Oh, no thank you, I’m fine”…and continued to laugh to myself.

So, yet another unexpected day and series of events in Hong Kong. I never do know what to expect! 

Connecting Globally

"Everyone should study abroad, I've experienced 

and learned so much" haha!

WVU Homepage 

http://www.wvu.edu/

Check it out!

Time Flies

I hope everyone is enjoying the pictures, stories, and adventures from China! I've been back in Hong Kong a week already...time flies! I've been so busy catching up with friends, catching up with schoolwork, and uploading tons of pictures, that I can't believe another week is gone! 

This week was the first Bible Exploration! It went really well and 6 girls came - a girls from Colombia, a girl from China, two girls from Hong Kong, and two girls from America! A truly international Bible Study! No one is in need of a Bible yet...but I'll keep you posted. 

After a busy week, on Saturday I relaxed at a local beach in Hong Kong. A group of exchange students and I went to Stanley Beach to enjoy the Hong Kong 80 degree weather! 

Realizing that time truly does fly...another countdown officially begins today...9 days until I head off to Thailand! I can not wait, but I'm sure it will be here sooner than I anticipate! 

More Beijing Pictures!

All of the China pictures are now posted! Just Click on the Link to see more...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341333&id=25821522&l=f1edbe77c9

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341319&id=25821522&l=6b8ae9e47c

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341310&id=25821522&l=4e4e42af77

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341049&id=25821522&l=feeeaacb59

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341047&id=25821522&l=c326d8235f

All of these pictures should work even if you don't have a Facebook Account! Hope it works...

Links to Xian Pictures

Here are links to more Xian Pictures! 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341748&id=25821522&l=39622e2de3

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341755&id=25821522&l=33ea2d7b35

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341759&id=25821522&l=f89f53a364

Links to Shanghai Pictures

Here are links to more pictures from Shanghai: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2342134&id=25821522&l=fdb80edf98

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2342123&id=25821522&l=55427b0902

Enjoy! 

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

Saturday was the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival, one of the biggest holidays in China. China was well decorated for the Mid-Autumn Festival and we couldn’t go anywhere without seeing tons of huge, red Chinese lanterns decorating buildings, streets, and temples. I’m sure I saw around a million different Chinese lanterns after eleven days in China!

Melyssa and I dedicated Saturday to exploring the city of Shanghai. We headed to the “touristy”, central part of Shanghai, known for the huge buildings and towers. We saw, The Bund, The Oriental Pearl Tower, the World Finance Center, and the Jin Mao Tower.

Melyssa and I went to the Jin Mao Observatory 88, which is a viewing and sightseeing hall, where we enjoyed an aerial view of Shanghai. The sightseeing hall is on the 88^th floor of the Jin Mao Tower. The view was breathtaking! I was quickly reminded that Shanghai is a city of over 16.5 million people. Skyscrapers and buildings dominated the landscape, as rivers and roads, wound around and through the city!

After experiencing the view of Shanghai 340 meters high, we headed to Nanjing Road, the busiest part of Shanghai! It was out of control! There were mobs of people everywhere. I am sure that I saw and came in contact with over a million people in 4 hours. Melyssa and I explored Nanjing Road and headed to Yuyaun Gardens, where there were tons of people and shops, but no real gardens, so we decided to call it a day and relax for the night.

Melyssa and I enjoyed our last night in Shanghai at Xin Tian Di, a local and upscale, restaurant and jazz club area. Melyssa and I enjoyed dinner together and the entertainment of live piano music. 

Trip to Suzhou - "Venice of the East"

For our first adventure in Shanghai, Melyssa and I decided to check out Suzhou, a “suburb” of Shanghai. Suzhou is a water village and known as the “Venice of the East” for its canals and rivers that run through and around the city.

Melyssa and I opted not to take a tour and instead ventured to the bus station to take an hour long bus ride to Suzhou. An hour quickly turned into two hours, and two and a half hours later we arrived at a bustling bus station in Suzhou!

Melyssa and I quickly realized Google had failed us, and we were truly in the middle of who-knows-where with a single map of Suzhou and little else to go on. About 30 minutes later, after much confusion, attempting to ask for directions in English and sometimes in our broken excuse for Chinese, we started walking to “The General Administration Garden”.

The General Administration Garden is one of the most famous gardens in all of China. Map in hand, we walked through dozens of motorcyclists and taxi drivers who were offering rides from the bus station. In a smaller town like Suzhou, outside of the city, that is not as “touristy” or as visited by Westerners, a 5 foot 9, blond, with light skin and green eyes, causes just a little bit of attention. Dozens of people were shouting “hello” to us as we walked by, and I have never had that many people take pictures of me!

The most attention I have ever gotten was when we were actually in The General Administration Garden. Tons of people were taking my picture. I now know what it feels like to be stalked by the paparazzi! Sometimes people ask to take my picture, and ask if they can get a picture with me, which I am generally fine with. I usually “ham it up” and throw out a peace sign, everyone seems to love that. But the real “creepers” are the people who pull out the cell phones to take a quick picture, or the people spotted ten feet away who are noticeable taking a picture.

The General Administration Garden was gorgeous, but so crowded. Melyssa and I joked that half of China must have been there! So Melyssa and I decided to venture to where we thought gondola rides were offered.

After a taxi ride around the city, we ended up at North Temple Pagoda, a park area offering gondola rides. We quickly headed to the “Pleasure Boats” a sign pointed to, and Melyssa and I enjoyed a much needed, relaxing, gondola ride. The park itself was gorgeous, with Chinese pavilions, a Chinese pagoda, and a lake.

There was even a fish feeding area where we saw the biggest fish! They were the biggest gold fish I have ever seen! You could tell they had been fed a lot!

The best part of the day, other than the gondola ride, was when a mother with the cutest Asian baby came up to me and asked me to hold her son and take a picture! Melyssa took a picture of me holding the baby, he was so cute!

Melyssa and I then headed back to the bus station and waited alongside the river as we ate our dinner that we had bought from a street vendor. Melyssa and I bought dinner for less than a dollar and enjoyed spicy noodle and bean paste dumplings. The bus ride back to Shanghai was a little easier and thankfully, a lot quicker. One day of adventures over, another day ahead. 

Shanghai Acrobats

Another early morning to the airport, waking up at 4:30AM to catch a 5:00AM taxi. Melyssa and I have become experts at taking power naps throughout the day - in taxis, on buses, in the airport, on the plane! The last destination on our trip up and down China was Shanghai. So Thursday, on the 60^th Chinese National Day, Melyssa and I ventured to Shanghai.

Melyssa and I were dyeing to see the Shanghai Acrobats, so Thursday night we both enjoyed one of the best performances of our lives! The acrobat show was in a circular arena, so there were no bad seats as we were awed by the super flexible gymnasts and the performers who seemed to be able to flip, jump, and bend through anything!

My favorite performers were first a duo who did a partner act. They wrapped their arms and legs around a really long ribbon that stretched up and across a huge, pulley on the ceiling. The man and woman would take turns holding each other up as one was wrapped in the ribbon. The man would wrap his arms in the long ribbon as the woman would hang from his feet, then to his arms, and then attach to his waist – all while flowing and floating around the arena, fifty feet in the air!

Then for the finale, the acrobats went “Evil Knievel” style, and a huge steel ball was brought out to center stage! First, one motor cycle, with lights shining, road into the huge, cage ball. As I sat in the dark, all I could see were the motorcycle’s lights spinning around the ball. Then another motorcycle joined the first, then another…then another…then another! There were 5 motorcyclists awing the crowd as they all road around and around a single metal cage! Then around the bottom of the cage 3 more motorcyclists with lights shining joined the original five!

It was a great performance and a great first night in Shanghai! 

Xian City China

Wednesday morning we enjoyed our second day in Xian with an early morning Starbucks coffee retreat! Then we walked to the Southern Gate of the Xian City to ride bikes of the top of the Xian City Wall. The Xian City Wall was built about 1500 years ago to protect the city of Xian and overlooks all of today’s innermost city area of Xian.

Riding bikes on top of the wall was one of the coolest things I have ever done. It was so neat to see such a busy and crowded city from a “bird’s eye view”. As we rode bikes we were even with the rooftops of houses that covered the city! Melyssa and I rode leisurely around the entire Xian City Wall, it took almost 2 hours! The bricks that make up the city wall made the ride a little bit bumpy, but the experience and view where more than enough to make up for the bumpy ride.

After the bike ride on the City Wall we walked through an old side street where vendors were selling paintings, jade, wood carvings, Terra Cotta Solider replicas, silk, dried fruit...and so much more. The number of vendors selling items on the street are countless!

Then Melyssa and I went to the Bell Tower, which marks the center of the city of Xian. Then we went to the Drum Tower, that compliments the Bell Tower and is right across the busy Xian City street.

Melyssa and I then ventured to a predominantly Muslim part of Xian and ate Muslim food and Muslim noodles. There were tons of vendors selling dried fruit, roasted walnuts…and at the end of the street, there was a meat market! There were slathered animals hanging from the ceiling, animal parts in bins, and there was even a cart of meat in the road. Melyssa and I decided to turn around because it was so sickening!

In the Muslim area of Xian there is also a historical Muslim mosque called “The Great Mosque” which Melyssa and I went to visit next. After the Great Mosque, we were off to more tourist attractions rooted deep with Asian history, like the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. We were able to go inside of the Pagoda and we walked up 13 flights of stairs, all the way to top. Then we walked at least 2 or 3 miles to the Big Goose Pagoda!

At night time there is a really famous water and light show in front of the Big Goose Pagoda. The Pagoda is introduced by a huge courtyard with fountains and is very “park-like”, with lots of trees and benches. At night time there is definitely an “amusement park” feel to the environment as kids and families wait for the light show to begin. There were tons of carnival games and cotton candy! The light and water show was choreographed to music and lasted about 30 minutes. Little kids would run through the fountains as water spouted into the air and people would jump out to get pictures in front of the water. Melyssa and I had a great time!

When the light show was over, there were hundreds, probably thousands of people trying to get back home. Xian does not have a central subway system, so transportation is a little tricky! After an hour of trying to wave down a taxi, Melyssa and I decided we were going to start flashing money! So I ended up stopping a taxi, that had already refused to take a guy somewhere, flashed a decent amount of money, and before he even knew where I wanted him to take us, he shook his head “yes”! It was the most hilarious situation, and that was the fastest taxi ride I have ever taken! 

The only thing Certain in Uncertainty

China is both completely gorgeous and completely random and unexpected! An interesting part of our day, was when our tour guide, Chelsea, was walking us back to the bus after viewing the Terra Cotta Soldiers, and apparently she was going through a back road that she wasn’t allowed to walk on or guide us through, and she got scolded by a police officer. Chelsea, however, wasn’t going to have it, so she started fighting with the officer! There was yelling, and chasing, and Chelsea poked/hit the officer with her water bottle! I didn’t understand any of the Chinese they were yelling, and for once, I’m glad I didn’t. I’m sure there were some not very nice words exchanged! 

8th Wonder of The World!

A major reason I wanted to come to Xian was to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers. Anything above and beyond seeing the Terra Cotta Soldiers was bonus! On Tuesday, I got to see the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and the reason I was in Xian!

Before the Terra Cotta Soldiers we went to a Ceramic and Pottery Manufacturing Factory that is famous for making and selling clay Terra Cotta Solider replicas. Then we went to the Banpo Museum which preserved the Banpo Matriarchal Clan Village in Xian. After the Banpo Museum we had a Traditional Chinese lunch at a restaurant that was known for its “belt noodles”. At the end of the meal, a huge pot of noodles in broth was brought out. The noodles were 3 inches wide and yards long!

Since the Terra Cotta Soldiers are such a new discovery, it was very interesting to see how “touristy” Xian has become in such a short time. When driving to see the Xian Terra Cotta Soldiers that lie outside the main city of Xian by nearly an hour, we passed miles and miles of farm land. We were driving on bumpy roads, and I watched as fruit and vegetable vendors lined the streets. All of the buildings held very traditional Chinese architectural designs. Everything about “traditional” China was found on the way to the Terra Cotta Soldiers.

Then when we arrived to the actual Museum and preservation center, the area was extremely residential and touristy. The buildings looked more like an outlet mall than a great Chinese excavation site.

Upon entering the Terra Cotta preservation center, I felt like a little kid at an amusement park! I was so excited! The Terra Cotta Soldiers truly were amazing, and I learned a lot about them! Check out my “Terra Cotta Fun Facts!”

After the Terra Cotta Soldiers we went to visit the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Then to conclude our tour we went to the Hanhauig Hot Springs. I had never seen or been to a natural hot spring before, and it was really remarkable. In the background of the ancient hot spring, was a bright green mountainside that had cable cars transporting people up and down the mountain. Peaking out of the mountain, I could see ancient temples decorating the mountainside. Since the water from the hot spring used to be used as bathing water for the emperors who lived there, we were able to see many ancient bath tubs that had been preserved.

In the middle of the courtyard, there was a fountain that spit out water from the natural hot spring that you could touch and wash your hands in. The water was really, really warm!

Terra Cotta Fun Facts...

1. The Terra Cotta Soldiers were only discovered 30 years ago.
2. In the 1970’s, there was a farmer who was digging a well, and as he was digging, he came upon the Terra Cotta Soldiers! Because of his discovery it is said that today and forever, the farmer and his family have great luck and are very fortunate.
   
3. There are actually 3 pits of Terra Cotta Soldiers – each one displaying something different. Pit 1 is the most famous and well known, this is where the army of the Terra Cotta Warriors is displayed. Pit 2 is the smallest, deepest, and most well excavated of the 3 pits. Pit 2 displays warriors, generals, and officers. Pit 3 is made of mostly cavalry men, chariots, and horses, most of which are yet to be “discovered” and still lie underground.
   
4. When the Terra Cotta Soldiers in Pit 2 were found, it was very evident that they had been painted. The faces were pink, shoes were black, the socks were white, and the armor was very colorful! But, as the minerals that were used to paint the soldiers have been extracted and exposed to oxygen the color has completely faded.
   
5. The Terra Cotta Soldiers are all still in their original pit that they were found, about 20 feet below where tourists can stand and view, so I wasn’t able to get very close to them.
   
6. Pit 1, the most well known pit of Terra Cotta Soldiers, it is the size of 2 football fields, and is said to have 6000 warriors. However, many of the warriors are in fragments or still yet to be discovered.
   
7. The pictures of the many, many complete Terra Cotta Soldiers that you see are only about a quarter of the entire excavation site in Pit 1.
   
8. All the soldiers were made with hollow bodies, solid legs and solid arms. All of the heads of the Terra Cotta Soldiers are removable, and many of the soldiers are head-less. The heads of the Terra Cotta Soldiers are solid.
   
9. Each face of the Terra Cotta Soldiers is different.
   
10. The weapons that have been found with the Terra Cotta Soldiers, are actual weapons. They are made of bronze and medal.
    
11. The Terra Cotta Soldiers were made by Emperor Qin, who started making them when he was about 12 years old, so that when he died, he would be forever protected in the afterlife.
    
12. The hair of the Terra Cotta Soldiers symbolizes rank - 1 bun is a soldier, 2 buns is an officer, a square bun is a general. 
    

Tang Dynasty Dumpling Dinner Show

Monday night after a long, confusing day of traveling, Melyssa and I decided to book seats at the “Tang Dynasty Show”. The Tang Dynasty Show is a famous, traditional Chinese song and dance performance in Xian. The Tang Dynasty Show is also a dinner show, serving traditional Chinese dumplings!

The show and the dumplings were absolutely amazing! The show itself was really interesting, with all of the elaborate Chinese outfits and costumes, the traditional live Chinese music and musicians, and the choreographed dancing! My favorite part of the show was a performance where the ladies danced in silk dresses with really long sleeves! The sleeves were so long that they looked kind of the like “ribbon dancers” that I used to play with when I was a little girl! The ladies on stage danced, spun, and twirled their arms around as their ribbon-like sleeves did the same!

The dumpling dinner was also spectacular! The dumplings were delicious! We had all kinds of dumplings…carrot, duck, fish, ham, pork, chicken, cabbage, walnut...most were steamed and a few were fried! It was so fun because some of the dumplings were made to look like the filling of the dumpling. So the cabbage dumplings were green and in the shape of a cabbage, the duck filled dumpling looked just like a duck, the pork dumpling like a pig, and the fish dumpling like a fish! 

The Journey to Xian

After much debate in deciding how Melyssa and I were going to get to Xian, we decided to opt for a flight instead of taking an overnight, 12 hour train ride. So we looked for the absolute cheapest flight and found one for a decent price. As we were flying to Xian, we arrived at the smallest airport I have ever seen! There was sand all around and it looked to be in the middle of a dessert. Melyssa and I were very confused as we got off the plane.

Apparently, we had a connecting flight we knew nothing about! It was the most hilarious situation. We had no idea where we were and we were both trying to figure out how we were going to hail a taxi to Xian. Many confused faces and 30 minutes later, we were back on the plane and heading to the real Xian, definitely an interesting way to start off our journey. 

Heaven, Pearls, Coldstone, Palace, Michael Phelps...all in one day!

Sunday morning, our last day in Beijing we walked to Temple Street and viewed the Temple of Heaven! First we walked through a park and botanical garden to get to the temple. It was really neat to see all the hundreds of people out in the park, just enjoying the morning; doing tai chi, stretching, walking…it was a very cultural experience. The Temple of Heaven itself was absolutely striking. Nearly everything we saw, we would all ask “wonder how they did this?” Everything from the bright greens, reds, yellows, and blues, the intricate hand carvings of dragons and flowers, the architecture of the temples…it was incredible!

After the Temple of Heaven we headed to the Pearl Market! Which of course, was marvelous! Put four girls in a building full of pearls and you are sure to be in trouble. Rings, necklaces, and earrings later, we all did our fair share of damage. Laura kept saying “It’s totally fine, It’s totally fine” trying to justify our purchases, even through real pearls in China are way cheaper than even fake pearls in America!

Our next destination planned was the Summer Palace, so we attempted to get closer to the Summer Palace by subway. A little confusion and a little bit of unexpected circumstances later, the subway stopped ended in the most random of malls.

The mall looked nice, and we didn’t really know where we were anyway, so we decided to go in. Little did we know that the mall was “American food heaven”. There was Dairy Queen, which looked great until we saw…COLDSTONE! There were also Auntie Anne’s pretzels and a Subway. Melyssa and I ate Subway for lunch and then we all enjoyed Coldstone Ice cream for dessert. Cake Batter ice cream has never tasted so good!

From the “American food heaven” mall we took a taxi to The Summer Palace. We all decided, that out of all the temples and ancient palaces we had seen, that if we were emperors, we would live at The Summer Palace. The same amazingly detailed Chinese pavilions, buildings, and temples, but placed and intertwined among the most gorgeous of lakes and trees. The lake was expansive, I couldn’t see from one side of it to another! We decided to take a boat ride across the lake and see the Summer Palace view from the water. We were able to catch all of the Summer Palace at sunset, so from day to night we watched as the sunset over the water surrounding the gardens and temples that composed the Summer Palace. 

After the Summer Palace we decided to venture back to the city and view the Olympic Sights at night.

The Olympic Sites were even better at night time! The Birds Nest radiated red in the night of Beijing. The red lights shown through the bended steel, complimenting the already amazing architectural design. There was a man made pond on one side of the stadium that when standing on a bridge connecting one side of the road to the other, you could take a picture of the lighted stadium and see the glowing reflection bounce back in the water!

The Water Cube was equally as spectacular as the Birds Nest at night time. The lights only enhanced the already blue color of the Water Cube and made the “giant square bubbles” glow an even brighter florescent blue! We joked that we just wanted to bounce on the walls of the Water Cube, because the walls looked so bubble-like in the dark.

Ending our American food night, we had dinner at a TGIFriday’s right beside the Olympic sites…one last “hoorah” until Melyssa and I head off to Xian the next day! 

First FULL Day in Beijing - 4:30AM to Midnight!

Our first day in Beijing, we all decided to wake up at 4:30, so we could leave for Tieneman Square at 5:00AM and watch guards raise the Chinese national flag at sunrise (approx 6:00AM). Half asleep, and still in the gray of morning we entered Tieneman Square to be greeted by hundreds of other people who had woken up to see this extraordinary piece of Chinese culture and history that happens every morning. Guards marched up and around the flag pole that stood well guarded and blocked off from the public, nearly 100 yards away from the crowd. The guards raised the Chinese national flag to the Chinese national anthem as the hundreds of people gathered with cameras! A savvy “business man” was renting plastic stools among the crowd, so the lucky and willing people who wanted to pay the man a few Yuan could stand above the crowd.

After Tieneman Square and doing a very traditional “Chinese” sightseeing activity. We decided to do something very American…we flagged a cab down to take us to the closest McDonald’s! The cab driver had no idea where he was taking us, and upon figuring this out, we asked to be let out at a random corner that just happened to be right beside a McDonalds, where I ate the most delicious “hotcakes” of my life!

From McDonald’s we walked to the Forbidden City and then to Beihei Park (a traditional Chinese park and garden that overlooked a huge lake). We took paddle boats onto the Beihei Park lake and enjoyed the view of the park from the water. At the top of Beihei Park there was a temple surrounded by white, porous, cave-like rocks.

After Beihei Park we walked to HouHai Bar District, a well known street in Beijing that lines a winding lake with restaurants and bars. At HouHai we ate a delicious traditional Chinese lunch - sweet and sour chicken with pineapple!

From HouHai we talked past the Beijing Drum and Bell Tower. Then we were off to one of the most anticipated parts of the trip…the Olympic Sites! We rode the subway to the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) and National Stadium (Birds Nest).

The Birds Nest and Water Cube, were two of the coolest, modern, man-made, things I have ever seen in my life! From the outside, the Birds Nest, home of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is intertwined with huge pieces of steel that burst out of the ground, looping and curving vertically to horizontally, weaving a nest of steel beams in the most organized fashion!

The inside of the Birds Nest was blaring with Olympic Pride! A huge Jumbotron played clips from the 2008 Olympics. Just being there, the exact same place where hundreds of Olympians had trained, ran, competed, received gold medals, cried, laughed…I got chills! It was so cool to be in the exact same stadium, that a year earlier I had just seen the most remarkable Olympic opening ceremonies on TV. I tried to imagine being there on that historical night. The stadium chairs around the stadium were filled with tourists and stadium workers. The center of the stadium held the track and field as well as a huge temple-looking display in preparation for The People’s Republic of China 60^th National Day. We were guessing the stadium would be used for this October 1^st historical holiday less than a week later.

The night ended with a journey to the infamous/famous Silk Market – fake Polo, Coach and all designer brands galore, in addition to yards and yards of silk! 

The Great Wall

Highlight of my trip to China would definitely be the Great Wall!

I will never forget the day we spent at The Great Wall. The Great Wall was the only organized “tour” day we had in Beijing, everything else we planned completely by ourselves (with the help of Google). We left our two-star Holiday Inn Express (classy) at 7:30AM and headed first to the Ming Tombs. Then from the Ming Tombs we went for a tour of the largest Jade Factory in Beijing, followed by a traditional Chinese meal. Then off to the Great Wall…

We went to The Great Wall at Badaling, a very well known and “touristy” part of the wall. The Great Wall is on the outskirts of Beijing, among the greenest of mountains. From our tour bus windows, on the way to the entrance at Badaling, we caught glimpses of the Great Wall weaving in and out of the mountainsides we were driving through.

When arriving to the entrance at Badaling, we rode cable cars up the mountainside to the actual Great Wall. Everything about our visit to the Great Wall was remarkable! The weather reminded me of the most perfect fall, West Virginia weather (something I have been missing desperately living in Hong Kong were it is 90 degrees with 80% humidity all the time)! From the top of The Great Wall I could see hundreds of miles of green mountains packed full of trees, and with the turn of fall just around the corner, spots of the trees were already turning yellow and orange! It reminded me so much of West Virginia that I just had to stop for a few minutes and take it all in. Through the spotted yellow and orange trees painted on a green background, I could see the Great Wall extend for what seemed like forever, around, up and down the mountainside.

I went to Beijing with three other exchange students (and now really great friends) – Sunny, Laura, and Melyssa. We joked and laughed and took pictures of each other climbing and enjoying The Great Wall. I wore my new yellow T-shirt that I had bought at the Silk Market the night before, that proudly proclaims “I climbed the Great Wall”.

Even thought we were on a very “touristy” part of The Great Wall and we were sharing the view with a few other hundred people, it was a stunning view, one that should be shared with as many people as possible! I completely understand why The Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

After descending the mountain by cable car, we thought we were heading back to our hotel, but were confused and shocked when the tour guide, Ben, said we were going to a “Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy”. No one in our eleven group tour knew about these plans, but no one complained. It ended up being a completely random building in the middle of Beijing, where we were told about traditional Chinese medicine and offered foot massages for an additional charge. Everyone decided to avoid this tourist trap and we were all quickly ushered back to our hotel for the end of the tour!

After our tour, we all wanted to go eat Beijing, “Peking Duck”. After a little bit of an adventure getting to the restaurant I had "Googled", we finally arrived at a building flashing with neon yellow and red lights (China’s favorite colors). Entering the building we were greeted by women dressed in traditional, silk, red dresses.

For dinner we ordered half of a duck, vegetables, and dipping sauce! When our duck came, it was carved freshly in front of us, and we were first given the roasted duck skin to try. It may sound gross, but it was one of the most deliciously, unhealthy things I have ever eaten. It was very crispy and juicy, and the duck had been roasted in the most appetizing glaze that the skin completely saturated! The duck skin was accompanied by a little dish of course grain sugar that you could dip in. It was so tasty! The actual duck meat tasted like really juicy-dark meat turkey. We all joked that this would be our Thanksgiving meal.

After dinner we went to Wangfujing Snack Street. It is a little strip market that is well known for selling snacks on a stick. And we aren’t talking shish ka bob’s! Think more like scorpion, lizard, star fish, beetle, sea horse…on a stick! So Melyssa and I decided to eat scorpion! There were four LIVE scorpions on each stick, we tapped the can that was displaying the scorpions to the public and watched the scorpions wiggle and squirm before their death in a glaze bath and fiery grease! Melyssa and I pinky promised that we would eat the entire scorpion…and we did it! The scorpion didn’t taste that bad, a little bit crunchy, like a chip! After the scorpion, we all went for the starfish. The starfish was really gross; it tasted like sandy, crunchy, fish shell. Blah!After the scorpion and starfish, we all opted for something a little more normal and enjoyed sugar glazed fruit on a stick – pineapple, cherry tomatoes, grapes, and plum covered in a red, syrupy sugar glaze. It was delicious, and a perfect dessert, following duck, scorpion, and starfish!

Blogging about China

There are so many stories, adventures, and pictures from my trip across China - that it would be overwhelming to post them all at once! So the plan is to post an adventure each day for the next week or so...

Check back for more!