Ni Hao from Chinnnaaaaa
We all keep saying, how the heck did WE get to China? Specifically Kyle’s words are, “Now what am I doing in China?” (valid point)I have as much to say about China as there are people in China (few billion) so sit back and enjoy the plethora of words and pictures coming your way (no really get a coffee or something it’ll be worth it). Shanghai, Beijing, the Great Wall, Oh My!
Day 1: Shanghai, China
The first thing to say about Shanghai, is WHAT A SKYLINE. You guys the view from my bedroom window has never been so cool. You could make a full circle on the front deck and the skyline looks like that every second you’re spinning.
First stop: Shanghai!!! Our first stop on our Shanghai tour day was China Town. No really, China really has a ‘China Town’ except they call it Old Town, the original China Town. It was wild, they had pigs EVERYWHERE. Bit of context—its Chinese new year (or was when we were there) and its the year of the pig, so there are pig decorations all over.
After, we went to the Yu garden, a four-acre garden in the heart of Shanghai. And by garden I mean there were bridges, waterfalls, gazebos, Koi fish (which they call happy fish) and everything else you can imagine… a step up from what our garden looks like at home, yeeeesh!! It was built by a man to impress his parents (mom & dad if you’re reading this, don’t expect this from me, you’ll probably get some pictures and a crisp high-five).
From there we spent time walking around Shanghai to really see what the city had to offer… we saw the riverfront, the French Quarters, and several original structures. I wish I had more pictures of the inside of the city (I’ll work on it). SO cool, but SO DANG COLD!!!
Please enjoy these pictures of us at the riverfront. I know we look like we’re warm as can be, but don’t let our little smiles fool ya. We were FREEZING, literally, from the inside out. Are we from Minnesota? Yes. Are we used to the cold? Yes. Are we dressed properly? Debatable. BUT, when you’ve accepted that you won’t really get a winter this year and have acclimated to the sunny and 85 weather, you wimp up real quick to the cold.
The last thing we did in Shanghai was go to the Shanghai museum. Okay so if you’re an art museum person, skip to China day 2, this doesn’t pertain to you. So turns out Kyle, Josey, and I aren’t what you call museum people. BIG SHOCK, I know. We only could handle 20 minutes before we retired in the cafeteria with some cookies and coffee. One of our teachers was in there too and we were able to talk to her about her previous voyagers to pass the time…. Equally enriching, right?
Day 2: Shanghai & Beijing, China
Welcome back museum junkies, everyone else, thanks for sticking around. Okay so day 2, airport, RIVETING.
I don’t know about you, but China travel stresses me out a WEE bit (okay maybe a lot a bit). Maybe thats because my mom sent me a message a day about people getting arrested, maybe because China blocks their wifi and that freaks me out, or maybe its because I feel like a mom traveling with small children (cough cough, have you met Josey and Kyle?). I handed out gum and hand sanitizer like it was my full time freaking job. Don’t worry I don’t mind.
Somehow (it was my fault, but I’m not admitting it ) Kyles passport number got entered incorrectly on his ticket (I did that on accident). SO, an hour before our flight, I had to spend an hour on the phone with Chinese people who spoke 4 words of English to get him on the flight (because of me). THANK GOODNESS we, I mean I, got it figured out… if he didn’t get on the flight and missed going on the luge at the Great Wall, my trip may have ended early.
So for future reference, Chinese are not morning people, therefore the only place open before 11am at the Shanghai airport is McDonalds. Don’t sigh quite yet, ordering at McDonalds in other countries isn’t like ordering in the US. Ordering somewhere else its like a game, you pick one thing and get another. Some call it annoying, some call it a surprise. At one point Kyle ordered the pineapple burger and ended up with a pineapple pie.
Eventually, we made it to Beijing. Has anyone ever told you that the smog in China is bad? No? Well it is. We thought the sun was setting when we arrived, but no, it was just air pollution (how GREAT right…)
HOTEL TIME!!! For some reason, the Chinese think it’s a good idea to have a full window into the shower from the main room. To top off the design, they put the shades for privacy in the shower ON THE OUTSIDE! Who in their right mind thinks this is an adequate design for a room?!
Day 3: Beijing, China
ANOTHER bright and early wake-up call of 6:15 am for the Great Wall, Tieneneman Square, and the Forbidden City. When we wake up and do cool things, it’s a lot easier, I can do that. But waking up to go to 7:30 class is a WHOLE different ballgame.
Note: There is a huge part of me that just wants to put the pictures for each of these places on here and not explain anything, because explaining it doesn’t do anything justice. But as much as I want to do that and say go experience them for yourself, I’ll do the right thing and tell you a bit more about it.
Okay so, Tieneman Square, in all honesty, is exactly what you see in pictures, but maybe a bit larger. Not to say that it didn’t impress me (it still did!!!!!), but it wasn’t the coolest thing we saw that day. Maybe I wasn’t that impressed because it was still freaking early or maybe because it felt like a negative Minnesota winter day with the windchill, WHO KNOWS!
Once you walk through the Square, you get to the Forbidden City. I LOVED the Forbidden City… it was hard not to look at things and think of Mulan (if I’m being honest). But at the same time I was so so so impressed that everything was SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD. The Chinese know how to build lasting architecture, wow.
If you don’t know, the Forbidden City is where the Emperor lived with his wife and over 300 concubines. There was literally a room for everything you could imagine (he had over 7 bedrooms, a honeymoon room, a room just for choosing concubines, etc.). And everything you looked at was decorated with the most intricate designs. Seriously it was all so beautifully made and I couldn’t believe how old it was.
Post Tienenman Square and Forbidden City, we drove an hour and a half for lunch. THANK GOODNESS WE HAD A GUIDE, because she told us all the details and got us everywhere we needed to go. Otherwise I don’t know what we would have done, we would have looked like 3 lost and cold Americans wondering China…
FINALLY WE MADE IT TO THE GREAT WALL!!!!! It was a ten minute walk between where we parked and the base of the chairlift. During that ten minute walk, Josey and Kyle both haggled with the locals for some souvenirs. If you know Kyle, ask him what he got in Beijing… I’ll just leave it at that!!
The whole ride up the chair lift we were in awe of the scenery. The fog made the mountains stand out and look more defined… it legitimately looked like a Windows screen saver.
If the Great Wall isn’t on your bucket list, put it on there right this moment. I cannot begin to describe how incredible it was. In both directions, the wall just went on forever. It disappeared into the mountains, from a distance looked minuscule compared to where you were.
What I wasn’t expecting, was for it to be as MASSIVE as it was. The part of the wall we went to had the the floor of it restored in 1985, but the walls themselves were original. It looked like it could have been made in the past 50 years it held up so well.
I also wasn’t expecting the stairs to be as obscure or as steep as they were. To all the Bethel students, I found stairs that are worse than the awkward steps at Bethel!!!! (I know thats so shocking). Some stairs would be an inch high, some would be two feet high, some would be normal, and some would be normal but would be so slanted you’d think a drunk person constructed it. Through the time there we just started assuming they were drunk when they put the stairs in…
We spent a few hours on the wall, just ooing and ahhing at the fact that we were on the Great Wall… Oh and for reference about the picture that looks like Kyle is throwing Josey off the wall, it was only a show!!! But see what I mean, I’m the mom and they are my kids, all said with love!!!
I think, I THINK, thats all I’ve got for you for China days 1-3. They were truly exhausting and make me thankful every day that I get to experience this incredible trip.
Bet you can’t wait for China Pt. 2!!!
Katelyn
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