A "Ding-Ding-Hao" Day!

We arrived in Xi'an, China's ancient capital, very early in the morning. We ate breakfast at a local McDonalds and my egg mcmuffin was wonderful. We visited the Shanxi Museum, and wandered around the city's wall. We visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where we made our way into a zodiac shop. My zodiac year, 1976, is the year of the dragon. Qiong and Greg are also dragons in our group. A zodiac book near the pagoda told us that we could be "crime geniuses," and we all laughed. That evening, we had an Imperial Dumpling Banquet Dinner while we watched a Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show.

Last Day in Beijing

Everyone told stories about their free-day adventures. I laughed while I listened to Melanie B. tell the story of visiting her nephew who lives in a hutong, while he attends college in the city. It was also fun hearing how Richard (who never meets a stranger) found himself with members of our group outstretched in a Chinese teacher's hutong, while the teacher painted calligraphy for some of the members.

We visited the Summer Palace today, and it was absolutely beautiful. We also visited the Olympic Park, where we toured the WaterCube and the Bird's Nest.

We all took rickshaw rides through a traditional neighborhood, and had lunch inside a hutong. Later that night, we shopped and ate on Wang-Fu-Jing, where we actually ran into the "kidnappers" from the day before! They were very nice and even posed for photos with us. They still wanted to show us some "artwork," but we resisted. We boarded our overnight train to Xi'an, where we enjoyed the experience of rail travel throughout China. There's nothing like trying to use an Eastern Toilet while the train is moving--Good Times!

Lost in Beijing

Sometimes in life you have to lose yourself, before you can find the right way. I spent the morning wandering the streets of Beijing. I was on a mission to find the Pearl Market. I had a map with me--that was written only in Chinese. However, there was a picture of a pearl where the market was located, so that came in handy when asking for directions. Of course, I got lost and found myself walking past local hutongs. I ran into a fellow teacher in our group who was also lost, and was looking for the Underground City. We decided to try and look for both places together. We hired a rickshaw driver who told us (in Chinese) that he would take us to the underground city. When we got there, we saw a sign that said the underground city was closed. The rickshaw driver quickly drove away, and we were lost in Beijing once again. With our Chinese map, we pointed to the "pearl" and some nice ladies pointed us in the direction of the Pearl Market. When we finally found the market, we were overwhelmed with the huge amount of vendors selling pearls. I bargained at shop #158, where I bought pearls for many friends and family. The vendors were nice enough to double-knot the pearls for me, and I considered my mission a success.
Later that same afternoon, a few teachers in my group and I were approached by some "art students." They wanted us to see their artwork. Maryanne was very trusting of the students, so Jerry and I followed Maryanne and the students to the "university." To make a long story short, we think we almost got lured into a hotel. We could've been kidnapped--but we walked away before the "students" had a chance to get us.
That night, lots of us walked down to Wang-Fu-Jing street. It is like Times Square. It is also close to the famous Night Market, where Andrew Zimmerman filmed an episode of "Bizarre Foods." We saw people eating beetles, starfish, sea horses, and various types of meat. Overall it was an incredible day. Getting lost is sometimes exactly what you need to enjoy the journey along the way.

The Great Wall

Today I checked off one of my lifelong dreams--I climbed the Great Wall of China! It was a foggy day, which made the view a little obstructed. But the experience was incredible. There were many people at the wall, and I had my picture taken with some Chinese high school students. The Great Wall is over 5,500 miles long, and it stretches like a strong dragon winding its way along the mountain ranges. We hiked the Badaling section in Yanqing County (about 70 miles outside of Beijing). The Badaling section was built during the Ming dynasty and is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall.

We also visited a Cloisonne Factory. It was amazing to see artists working on beautiful pieces of art. Cloisonne vases are made of copper, and inlayed with beautiful colored enamel. After having a nice lunch and shopping for Cloisonne souvenirs, we headed to the Ming Tombs. We had a shocking moment on the bus, when Melanie K. thought she left her wallet in a public restroom. But after a few panicked moments, she found her wallet tucked away in her own backpack.

We were absolutely exhausted after a full day of sightseeing. The bus dropped us off on the street and we had about 45 minutes to find a place to eat and get back to a theatre for an exciting acrobatic show. We were starving, and we searched everywhere for food. We thought we found a Pizza Hut, but it turned out to be delivery-only. Nancy tried to ask a security guard (who didn't speak English) how to get to a McDonalds. Luckily, he recognized her best hand-motion for the "golden arches". However, we didn't have enough time to walk all the way there, so we settled on concession stand food in the theatre. I bought some chips, and I thought they tasted funny. Noah tasted one, and started laughing. As it turned out, my chips were "meat-flavored." Nonetheless, the Chinese acrobats were amazing.

Tiananmen Square

We spent the first part of the day at Tiananmen Square. Our hotel, the Jianguo Garden Hotel, was only a few blocks from the square. Tiananmen Square is a large plaza in the center of Beijing. Various events in Chinese history happened in the square, including the May 4th Movement in 1919 and the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949. Mass rallies and protests were held at the square during the Cultural Revolution. Most recently, the protests of 1989 took place in the square, where many pro-democracy Chinese citizens were massacred. We visited the square a week after the 20-year Annversary of the 1989 protest, and it was very crowded. CNN was at the square a week earlier, trying to report on the history of the 1989 protests. Unfortunately, the reporters at CNN said that undercover security guards held umbrellas over their cameras last week, to block coverage of the history of the events in 1989.

We also visited the Forbidden City. It was the Chinese Imperial Palace for almost 500 years of dynastic rule. The Emperor lived here with his household. It was the political center of Chinese government. It has almost 9,000 rooms, and covers 720,000 square meters. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is listed as being the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

We also visited the Temple of Heaven. It was built by the same architect who designed the Forbidden City. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420. It is a place where people pray for things such as a good harvest. It is a beautiful site to see, and when we were there a lovely couple had their wedding photos taken at the Temple. A huge park surrounds the temple, where people gather in the afternoons to dance, play hackysack, and relax.

We were treated by a Peking Roast Duck Banquet Dinner. They also offered plenty of vegetables. It was a great way to end our full day of sightseeing.

Last-Minute Preparations

In Chicago, we discussed our daily itinerary. We also discussed our individual curriculum projects we will study on the trip. Our group is composed of teachers from Minnesota, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and other states. There are twenty of us--all with different personalities. Study tours like this could often be compared to a reality TV show like Survivor. You put a bunch of educators on a plane together for three weeks in China, and you end up with memories that last a lifetime. Our group is filled with first-class teachers. From published authors, to Fulbright scholars, to Marathon winners, to Harvard graduates--our group is definitely one that will go down in the history books. This is the best group I've ever traveled with on a study tour.

While we waited at the airport for our flight to Beijing, many of us "spun a wheel" for a United Airlines promotion, and won free upgrades to "Economy Plus" seats with extra legroom. I was fortunate to get a seat beside our Faculty Expert, Dr. Richard Bohr, who is a Professor at the College of ST. Benedict/St. John's. Fluent in Chinese, he has done legendary work studying Asian history and culture. His wife was the first Asian-American judge in her state, and it was a pleasure sitting beside Richard on the plane.

We had been warned about the Swine Flu quarantines in China. They told us to wear our special masks the entire 13 1/2 hour flight. We were all concerned we'd get to China and have to spend the first few days quarantined in a hotel if we sat beside anyone who was sick on the plane. We had to take thermometers with us, and the Chinese government took our temperature three times upon arrival. During the flight, we flew over Siberia, and I got some great snapshots from the plane. We arrived safely. One lady in our group, Melanie B., had to get her temperature checked an extra time, but luckily we all made it through, and started our first day in China in the capital city of Beijing.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I arrived at the Birmingham Airport at 4:30am for my early morning flight to Chicago. Our group met each other at an orientation at Indiana University in May, so it will be nice to see all my new friends I'll be traveling with to China at the HIlton Chicago O'Hare Airport. After arriving at the hotel, I was glad they had a room ready for me. I got Chicago very early, and assumed I'd probably have to wait in the lobby until check-in time. However, I was able to get my room immediately, and I caught up on some much-needed rest. I stayed up the night before packing for the trip. Everything I need for the next 22 days is zipped in a large backpack and I am ready for our adventure.