Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Narrative of Beijing vacation
April 26th to April 30, 2009 Beijing, China
What an exciting, tiring, and fun filled adventure in Beijing. We traveled with 2 teachers from QSI. When we arrived in Beijing we met up with 2 other QSI teachers.
We arrived at the Shenzhen International Airport at 8:00am and checked in. Fairly nice airport but small for International. The flight to Beijing was 3 hrs. and we were fed a decent lunch. No in flight movies but....... the stewardess led the passengers in chair aerobics. It was funny to listen and watch. They counted (very loud) in Chinese as they circled their wrists and arms. It woke me up from a little nap.
After disembarking from the plane, we got our bags and hopped into the van that was sent by our hostel. The hostel we stayed at was called Downtown Backpackers Accomadations which had a manager named Apple. She is Chinese but speaks excellent english and helped us find buses, taxis, etc. Great location right in the middle of the Hutongs which is a place many people tour while on vacation.
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Hutung for more information.
Our room was like going to summer camp. We had 3 sets of bunkbeds and a private bathroom with shower. The bathroom was a toilet/shower combo which means the toilet got wet and the floor flooded when someone showered. We paid $10 a person but got breakfast included. GREAT DEAL! Every morning we got 2 eggs, 1/2 banana, glass of tang, 3 pieces of toast, 1 saugauge, and slice of apple. Our room had 2 windows one with no curtain so we arose with the sun around 6am - no wake up calls needed for us. After we checked in we found out no towels were provided so we had to rent them for $8.00 RMB per person.($1.24) The best part was the location..... we were smack dab in the middle of cute little streets with quaint shops, pubs, coffee shops with couches etc. Very modern yuppie Chinese.... Great places to eat and relax!!
The first night we went to see a Chinese acrobatic show at the Tiandi Heaven and Earth Theatre. It was arranged through our hostel and they took us in a van so we didn't have to figure out transportation. We were in the fourth row right in the middle. We were surrounded by other Western people. We decided it was reverse discrimination. The white faces were all in the middle and upfront. Nonetheless the show was great! The performers looked very young and it hurt just watching them put their foot around their neck while standing on one leg. They were simply amazing. It was like going to the circus but no animals.
Next morning 6:40am we boarded buses and headed to the "Great Wall". There are several locations you can go to visit the "WALL"! We chose Jinshanling/Simatai which was a 2hr drive away. Once outside of the city we saw houses and farms and countryside that reminded us of Cle Elum, WA. Now supposedly this area of the wall is not very popular with the tourists because of the distance and the fact that it hasn't been refurbished. Also, no food vendors and shops. When we pulled up in Jinshanling to get off the bus to begin our hike much to our surprize was 2 big buses full of chinese students on a field trip. The all wore matching red/white sweatsuits and looked to be in high school. So much for no crowds on the wall.
We hiked/crawled 8 kilometers and it took about 4 hrs. We walked over crumbling stones and up and down loose stairs. Several tower locations (there were 30 total on our climb) were a little tricky with loose rocks and steps that with all the people it was quite a log jam. We were even diverted off the wall in 2 spots where there really wasn't any safe place to walk. Along the way little Chinese women and men showed up with there wares to sell. I managed to bargain for a few Great Wall t-shirts. The kids were laughing because this lady was running after me trying to get me to buy her shirts. The only english she could say was -"you buy ok" and "thank you very much" which she rattled off continuously while chasing us. Finally, we got to the end of our hike and had the option of riding a zip-line off the wall down over a lake. Which the kids and I did while Rick took pictures and eventually walked down. When we got off the zip-drive a little boat came and picked us up and took us to place to meet up with our tour group. Oh, did I mention no bathrooms on the wall.(use your imagination) McCall says she left her DNA on the GREAT WALL of China. It was pretty amazing to think we walked where so much history has taken place. http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China for more information.
Finally, we got back to hostel and headed for dinner. The boys were very excited that we found a Sizzler in a mall. It was a great dinner. We eat chinese food all the time so to find a good western salad bar/buffet for a good price is rare. That night we all slept well.
Tuesday was a jammed pack day. We went to the Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square, Silk road, and the Olympic Venues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen for more information.
We walked through Tiannamen to get to the Forbidden City. Lots of vendors trying to sell hats, watches with Mao, and postcards. Lots of people just hanging around.
The Forbidden city was very large and interesting. Some facts that I remember is that there are always 2 (two) Lions at each entry. One is a male with his paw on a ball and the other is female with her paw on a cub. We saw their drainage system with gargoyles that had the holes in their mouths. Large black vats were everywhere throught the city and they were used (years ago) to collect water in case of a fire. "The City" was damaged by fire by the French allied forces but rebuilt. A lot of the grounds and areas looked to be still untouched and in its orginal state. The path ways are crumbling and have weeds growing around them. http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City
Next stop was Silk road for a little snack and shopping. We were told the best deals were at Silk Road. It was fun to barter. After that we hopped on the subway and headed out to the Olympic venues. It costs 2rmb ($.26) to ride the subway anywhere. The Bird's Nest(track staduim), Ice Cube(swimming pool) and surroundings were very clean and new looking. It was nice to see that they are still taking care of the Olympic venues. When we left we were mobbed by vendors with Olympic souvenirs to sell. They followed us and swarmed us and didn't take NO for an answer. I think our mistake was we bought one thing then they kept offering us more and more and more (junk).
Wednesday we decided to go to the Summer Palace (Imperial Palace) http://en.wikipedia.org/?wiki/Summer_Palace It seems the Emperor hung out in the Forbidden City (central Bejing) and the Emperoress preferred the Summer Palace (northwest Bejing). The Summer Palace was huge and beautiful - lots of park like areas. The grounds are kept up and it is much prettier than the Forbidden City. Of course, like everything else much had been destroyed by fire from the Allied Forces (French) so it was rebuilt. There is a huge (KunmingLake) man made lake that offers boat rides and pedal boats. We chose to get 2 boats and pedaled around for 2 hrs. since yesterday was full of walking. We saw a hugh marble boat that the Emperoress had made - I don't think it ever floated - just set on the edge of the lake. Later, when we were walking around, we found a shop with a calligrapher. He could paint with his elbow. We had our last name painted in Chinese on scroll with other Chinese sayings. The most fun was the Chinese paparazzi that showing up everywhere we stopped! They had their cameras and would want pictures of and with McCall. The boys were absolutely amazed!!
Finally, on our last day (morning) we went to a market called Yao Xiu (pronounced Ya Show). It is like an indoor flea market. We told the kids it was time for them to try to barter. Brad was excited that he got a NBA Jersey with shorts for 80rmb. The lady's starting price was 480rmb. Derek bought 4 Chinese flutes for 50rmb. At first the man wanted 50rmb for 1 flute. He chased us down and just kept adding flutes to the deal. Jacob wasn't into bargaining or shopping. McCall gave her unwanted opinion on everything. She always suggested more than I wanted to pay so I had to ask her to be quiet. She did pick out many Chinese shirts to give as gifts.
At last we headed back to Shenzhen around 3pm. We were exhausted but glad we saw all the famous Beijing historical sights!
What an exciting, tiring, and fun filled adventure in Beijing. We traveled with 2 teachers from QSI. When we arrived in Beijing we met up with 2 other QSI teachers.
We arrived at the Shenzhen International Airport at 8:00am and checked in. Fairly nice airport but small for International. The flight to Beijing was 3 hrs. and we were fed a decent lunch. No in flight movies but....... the stewardess led the passengers in chair aerobics. It was funny to listen and watch. They counted (very loud) in Chinese as they circled their wrists and arms. It woke me up from a little nap.
After disembarking from the plane, we got our bags and hopped into the van that was sent by our hostel. The hostel we stayed at was called Downtown Backpackers Accomadations which had a manager named Apple. She is Chinese but speaks excellent english and helped us find buses, taxis, etc. Great location right in the middle of the Hutongs which is a place many people tour while on vacation.
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Hutung for more information.
Our room was like going to summer camp. We had 3 sets of bunkbeds and a private bathroom with shower. The bathroom was a toilet/shower combo which means the toilet got wet and the floor flooded when someone showered. We paid $10 a person but got breakfast included. GREAT DEAL! Every morning we got 2 eggs, 1/2 banana, glass of tang, 3 pieces of toast, 1 saugauge, and slice of apple. Our room had 2 windows one with no curtain so we arose with the sun around 6am - no wake up calls needed for us. After we checked in we found out no towels were provided so we had to rent them for $8.00 RMB per person.($1.24) The best part was the location..... we were smack dab in the middle of cute little streets with quaint shops, pubs, coffee shops with couches etc. Very modern yuppie Chinese.... Great places to eat and relax!!
The first night we went to see a Chinese acrobatic show at the Tiandi Heaven and Earth Theatre. It was arranged through our hostel and they took us in a van so we didn't have to figure out transportation. We were in the fourth row right in the middle. We were surrounded by other Western people. We decided it was reverse discrimination. The white faces were all in the middle and upfront. Nonetheless the show was great! The performers looked very young and it hurt just watching them put their foot around their neck while standing on one leg. They were simply amazing. It was like going to the circus but no animals.
Next morning 6:40am we boarded buses and headed to the "Great Wall". There are several locations you can go to visit the "WALL"! We chose Jinshanling/Simatai which was a 2hr drive away. Once outside of the city we saw houses and farms and countryside that reminded us of Cle Elum, WA. Now supposedly this area of the wall is not very popular with the tourists because of the distance and the fact that it hasn't been refurbished. Also, no food vendors and shops. When we pulled up in Jinshanling to get off the bus to begin our hike much to our surprize was 2 big buses full of chinese students on a field trip. The all wore matching red/white sweatsuits and looked to be in high school. So much for no crowds on the wall.
We hiked/crawled 8 kilometers and it took about 4 hrs. We walked over crumbling stones and up and down loose stairs. Several tower locations (there were 30 total on our climb) were a little tricky with loose rocks and steps that with all the people it was quite a log jam. We were even diverted off the wall in 2 spots where there really wasn't any safe place to walk. Along the way little Chinese women and men showed up with there wares to sell. I managed to bargain for a few Great Wall t-shirts. The kids were laughing because this lady was running after me trying to get me to buy her shirts. The only english she could say was -"you buy ok" and "thank you very much" which she rattled off continuously while chasing us. Finally, we got to the end of our hike and had the option of riding a zip-line off the wall down over a lake. Which the kids and I did while Rick took pictures and eventually walked down. When we got off the zip-drive a little boat came and picked us up and took us to place to meet up with our tour group. Oh, did I mention no bathrooms on the wall.(use your imagination) McCall says she left her DNA on the GREAT WALL of China. It was pretty amazing to think we walked where so much history has taken place. http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China for more information.
Finally, we got back to hostel and headed for dinner. The boys were very excited that we found a Sizzler in a mall. It was a great dinner. We eat chinese food all the time so to find a good western salad bar/buffet for a good price is rare. That night we all slept well.
Tuesday was a jammed pack day. We went to the Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square, Silk road, and the Olympic Venues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen for more information.
We walked through Tiannamen to get to the Forbidden City. Lots of vendors trying to sell hats, watches with Mao, and postcards. Lots of people just hanging around.
The Forbidden city was very large and interesting. Some facts that I remember is that there are always 2 (two) Lions at each entry. One is a male with his paw on a ball and the other is female with her paw on a cub. We saw their drainage system with gargoyles that had the holes in their mouths. Large black vats were everywhere throught the city and they were used (years ago) to collect water in case of a fire. "The City" was damaged by fire by the French allied forces but rebuilt. A lot of the grounds and areas looked to be still untouched and in its orginal state. The path ways are crumbling and have weeds growing around them. http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City
Next stop was Silk road for a little snack and shopping. We were told the best deals were at Silk Road. It was fun to barter. After that we hopped on the subway and headed out to the Olympic venues. It costs 2rmb ($.26) to ride the subway anywhere. The Bird's Nest(track staduim), Ice Cube(swimming pool) and surroundings were very clean and new looking. It was nice to see that they are still taking care of the Olympic venues. When we left we were mobbed by vendors with Olympic souvenirs to sell. They followed us and swarmed us and didn't take NO for an answer. I think our mistake was we bought one thing then they kept offering us more and more and more (junk).
Wednesday we decided to go to the Summer Palace (Imperial Palace) http://en.wikipedia.org/?wiki/Summer_Palace It seems the Emperor hung out in the Forbidden City (central Bejing) and the Emperoress preferred the Summer Palace (northwest Bejing). The Summer Palace was huge and beautiful - lots of park like areas. The grounds are kept up and it is much prettier than the Forbidden City. Of course, like everything else much had been destroyed by fire from the Allied Forces (French) so it was rebuilt. There is a huge (KunmingLake) man made lake that offers boat rides and pedal boats. We chose to get 2 boats and pedaled around for 2 hrs. since yesterday was full of walking. We saw a hugh marble boat that the Emperoress had made - I don't think it ever floated - just set on the edge of the lake. Later, when we were walking around, we found a shop with a calligrapher. He could paint with his elbow. We had our last name painted in Chinese on scroll with other Chinese sayings. The most fun was the Chinese paparazzi that showing up everywhere we stopped! They had their cameras and would want pictures of and with McCall. The boys were absolutely amazed!!
Finally, on our last day (morning) we went to a market called Yao Xiu (pronounced Ya Show). It is like an indoor flea market. We told the kids it was time for them to try to barter. Brad was excited that he got a NBA Jersey with shorts for 80rmb. The lady's starting price was 480rmb. Derek bought 4 Chinese flutes for 50rmb. At first the man wanted 50rmb for 1 flute. He chased us down and just kept adding flutes to the deal. Jacob wasn't into bargaining or shopping. McCall gave her unwanted opinion on everything. She always suggested more than I wanted to pay so I had to ask her to be quiet. She did pick out many Chinese shirts to give as gifts.
At last we headed back to Shenzhen around 3pm. We were exhausted but glad we saw all the famous Beijing historical sights!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Summer Palace in Beijing(Imperial Palace)
The Summer palace was spread out with beautiful grounds. The Qing dynasty misappropriated funds from the navy to build this palace for the Emperoress.
The Emperoress's marble boat. I don't think it actually floated. It was set in Kunming lake which is a man-made lake for the summer palace. I guess if you are royality you can get a lake front property - anywhere!
We walked under these beautifully painted covered walkways to get around a lot of the grounds. The Emperoress didn't want to get wet.
This is one of the many bridges built on "HER" personal lake.
At the palace we found a calligrapher that painted with his elbow. He wrote our last name in chinese on a scroll for us.(for a price)
The most fun was hiding from McCall's paparazzi fan club. Everywhere chinese people wanted to take pictures of her and with her. The boys were a little jealous. Brad said we should charge them.
Palace living quarters in the background. It was like a city in itself. It was more beautiful than the Forbidden City. Pretty nice for a second home.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Olympic Venues in Beijing
Signs in both chinese and english to direct you to the differet Olympic venues.Subway(Metro) in Beijing on our way to Olympic venues.
We arrived at the Bird's Nest(track stadium) around 5pm so we didn't have to deal with any crowds!! Although the subway was crowded.
The famous "ICE CUBE" is where the swimming took place. It looked blue.
Boy's QSI Basketball
QSI wins Southern Delta Region Conference Middle School boys Basketball tourney in Guangzhou, China.
Beijing Vacation
9am at the Shenzhen Airport our group is heading for a "historical" vacation. Our family traveled with two other QSI teachers and later ran into two more QSI teachers in Beijing.
Our posh 5 star hostel accommodations. Three bunkbeds and our own bathroom. What more can you ask for???????? It felt like a dorm room in college. We did get free breakfast and a free pool table in the basement.
Local garbage collector on bike in the Hutongs. We stayed at super hostel here in the heart of the Hutongs.In the background is the Forbidden City. It is huge. You can walk for hours and get lost. 
We are standing in Tianamen Square getting ready to go in the entrance to the Forbidden City.
We are standing in Tianamen Square getting ready to go in the entrance to the Forbidden City.
.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Hong Kong Soho District - Chinese New Years
We went with several families via ferry to Hong Kong for the yearly Chinese New Year parade. After arriving we had to take the Star ferry from Central to Kowloon.
The parade started at 8pm but we staked out our spot at 5pm so we could have a good view. Unfortunately we chose the wrong side of the road. We had a great time with our large group trying to get the chinese people to do the "wave"!
Within our goup of about 25 people this was the men's favorite parade entry. The Washington Redskin cheerleaders. For some reason the chinese people weren't that impressed. 
The parade was sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airlines. This was one of the better floats.
Chinese New Years is a major holiday for the chinese. It rivals a western Christmas
This is a Chinese New Year tree to symbolize good fortune for the new year. This year it is the Year of the OX! These little orange bushes/trees with empty red envelopes are everywhere. (just like Christmas trees everywhere in the USA)
The oranges on these bushes are sour and not good for eating. They are just decorations.
Early in the morning on Jan. 26th(Chinese New Years) the kids found "red envelopes" on their bed! It is a tradition to give children & single adults "red envelopes" for Chinese New Years. You put money in the envelopes as a gift. Many employers give their employees "red envelopes" at this time of year. (year end bonus)
Soho District!
McCall by a statue of Yoa Ming in the Mall at Giga sports.
The parade was sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airlines. This was one of the better floats.
Chinese New Years is a major holiday for the chinese. It rivals a western Christmas
This is a Chinese New Year tree to symbolize good fortune for the new year. This year it is the Year of the OX! These little orange bushes/trees with empty red envelopes are everywhere. (just like Christmas trees everywhere in the USA)The oranges on these bushes are sour and not good for eating. They are just decorations.
Early in the morning on Jan. 26th(Chinese New Years) the kids found "red envelopes" on their bed! It is a tradition to give children & single adults "red envelopes" for Chinese New Years. You put money in the envelopes as a gift. Many employers give their employees "red envelopes" at this time of year. (year end bonus)
Soho District!
McCall by a statue of Yoa Ming in the Mall at Giga sports.
The next morning we went to do the tourist stuff. We all rode one of the world's longest escalator in the Soho district. It took us up the mountain of Hong Kong while allowing you to get off on many intersections to explore the Soho District. We actually found a great mexican restaurant. We have been craving mexican food even Taco Bell would be good. There aren't any in China.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sunday afternoon in the Park!
At Si Hai park we saw how the chinese enjoy their Sunday afternoons. The park was huge with lots to see. Many people were fishing. I don't think I would eat anything out of this pond.
The lady is selling sugar cane. People buy a stick for 1 or 2 yuan. Then they cut it into pieces and peel off the bark. After that they just chew on it.
The older folks sit around in groups and play cards.
In these bins is a wheat like rice. The man is selling it. It is sticky and sweet. He uses his stick to beat on the bins to let people know he is there. Kind of like hearing the popsicle truck back in the USA.
This bull symbolizes the development of Shenzhen. Shenzhen is part of the new territories(special economic zone) Twenty five yrs ago it was a fishing village with dirt roads. Now it is very commericalized and has western businesses everywhere. The bull stands for hard work, spirit, and never giving up. Shenzhen is one of the wealthier areas due to all the manufacturing. Lots of expats live and work here.
The gentleman is playing an "er hu". It sounds like a cello. We hear them every night and it is very relaxing music.
The older folks sit around in groups and play cards.
In these bins is a wheat like rice. The man is selling it. It is sticky and sweet. He uses his stick to beat on the bins to let people know he is there. Kind of like hearing the popsicle truck back in the USA.
This bull symbolizes the development of Shenzhen. Shenzhen is part of the new territories(special economic zone) Twenty five yrs ago it was a fishing village with dirt roads. Now it is very commericalized and has western businesses everywhere. The bull stands for hard work, spirit, and never giving up. Shenzhen is one of the wealthier areas due to all the manufacturing. Lots of expats live and work here.
The gentleman is playing an "er hu". It sounds like a cello. We hear them every night and it is very relaxing music.
New Year's Eve at Happy Valley in Shenzhen
Only the strong can survive this ride. McCall and Nikki had to pull themselves up with the pulley rope. It was a good workout.
McCall, Rachel, and Nikki on a thrill ride at Happy Valley. Happy Valley is like a Silverwood or Lagoon but not as many rides. It does have a water park that is open when it's warmer.
Nikki, McCall, and Vecka dressed up like little chinese girls at Happy Valley. It was free to dress up but then they charged 10rmb to take pictures with your own camera. Of course many chinese people walking by stopped and took the girls picture.(for no charge)
McCall, Rachel, and Nikki on a thrill ride at Happy Valley. Happy Valley is like a Silverwood or Lagoon but not as many rides. It does have a water park that is open when it's warmer.
Nikki, McCall, and Vecka dressed up like little chinese girls at Happy Valley. It was free to dress up but then they charged 10rmb to take pictures with your own camera. Of course many chinese people walking by stopped and took the girls picture.(for no charge)
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