YANGSHUO

For the second part of my trip I went to Southern China to visit Yangshuo.  This is a famous area in China and tons of Chinese tourists as well as Western tourists come here for vacation.  One thing I really wanted to see here was the country.  You can see paintings everywhere of the Chinese country side with rivers and tall mountain peaks and I wanted to really see those places. Yangshuo was definitely the place to go and I LOVED it! It was so calm and beautiful. The river was clean and pretty and the mountains were absolutely lovely!
 
I flew in on Sunday night and I had made arrangements with a tour guide named Lili before my arrival. Lily was awesome!!!  First of all she was soooooo nice and also she did so much to help me out and arranged my transportation to and from the airport, found an inexpensive hotel for me, and took care of getting all my tickets and entrance fees.  She was fabulous.  My hotel was super cute and I had a big room with two beds and a small balcony looking out over the street.  My first night after I arrived I walked down the famous West Street which was full of vendors selling all sorts of touristy crap such as your name carved on rice, jewelry, cotton hand woven scarves, silk scarves, and all sorts of other crafts as well as manufactured goods.  The street was also full of restaurants and bars with live music everywhere.  
 
My first day in Yangshuo I met Lily in the morning. We rented bicycles and she took me out to a very nearby country village where I got to bike along the road through the amazing valley and mountains.  We stopped at a 300 year old farmhouse with the sweetest old Chinese farming family.  After that we got to the Yulong river and I took a fabulous ride on a bamboo raft which was very relaxing and gorgeous! I loved it!  Next it was back on the bicycles and we rode to moon hill.  I had lunch and then hiked up the hill and back down and after that is was off to the buddah cave.  The buddah cave was really neat and deep inside there was a very old buddah carving but the guide couldn't tell me how old the carving was but I imagine it was several hundred years old at least. Inside the cave I got to change into a slightly too small swimsuit that I bought there and I went into the mud bath.  It was pretty cold at first but after a bit you get used to it and it feels really nice.  I was a bit self concious in my swimsuit but the photographer didnt' seem to mind and neither did the two young Chinese guys that were there with their girlfriends - ha ha.  After my brief mud bath I went to the hot spring pool which was really nice after bicycling and hiking all day.  After the cave I went to meet lily again and we biked an hour back to Yangshuo.  In the evening I went to the San Jie Impression Light show which is show performed on the river in front of the mountains. The director of the show was Zhang Yimou who was the director of the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. He also has made many famous Chinese movies such as Raise The Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggars.  This show was wonderful - it was amazing all the great things they were able to do with the water. It was very colorful and many of the costumes lit up so that along with some special effects and great lighting made for a wonderful performance!
 
My second day in Yangshuo I met Lili again and we rented our bicycles and headed off to her village down the road. Lily lives with her husband and her in-laws.  They grow pomelos and blood oranges. They also grow rice and other vegetables too. She took me to her family land and I got to see all their orange trees and they also fixed me lunch which was sooo delicious. She gave me small oranges and pomelos to bring back too!  The farmers in China truly live off the land. They don't waste anything.  All the parts of the fruits and veggies they grow are used in their cooking and it is usually the same with the animals.  It was such a great way to see rural China.  Lily also has two little boys. The oldest was in school but her new baby was just two months old and absolutely adorable.  Lily and I took a small boat to Fuli which is a village where they make the paper and silk fans that are sold all over China. I got to see how the fans were made which was really interesting. I also went to a real, traditional Chinse farmers market. This place had everything - all sorts of weird things used for chinese medicine, fresh meat (real dead animals chopped up right in front of you), colorful fruits and vegetables, clothes, etc...  After the market we took a raft ride back up the river where we turned our bikes back in. I did a bit more quick shopping on West Street and then Lily met me to see me off in the taxi back to the airport.  
 
Yangshuo was so fantastic. I LOVED it!  If you come to China you must visit this area of the country.  Also, I was really, really grateful for Lily.  She was so amazingly humble and friendly. I couldn't have asked for a better guide.  Also, I came away from this trip with a renewed appreciation for nature and the environment.  Beijing is such a polluted city and it was nice to be in a place that was so clean and organic. It was a good reminder to do more on my end to live in a more environmentally friendly manner.  

HONG KONG

I FINALLY was able to take a vacation. My company only gives us 5 vacation days a year and I saved mine until the very end of my stay here in Beijing.  I am really glad that I did and after thinking of all the places I could go in this huge, amazing country, I stuck with the two most popular destinations and went to Hong Kong and then to Yangshuo.  This is my post about Hong Kong and Yangshuo will follow.

Everyone always talks about what  a great place Hong Kong (HK) is and soI felt like I would really regret it if I didn't go.  I arrived on Thursday morning and figured out what bus to take and went straight to the LDS Temple in Kowloon.  I stayed in patron housing across the street so I dropped off my things and then spent most of the day at the Temple. I met some really great people while I was there including this adorable young couple from Delhi, India. They got married in India the Saturday before in a traditional ceremony and then came toHK to be sealed in the Temple and have their honeymoon.  They were really nice and what was funny about them was that she worked for a tabacco company and the husband worked for Duty Free which really aren't jobs you would think Mormons would have and it makes it all the more hilarious.  I also met a couple from Utah serving a mission in Mongolia. They came to the Temple to get things ready for 28 Mongolians who were coming to HK to the Temple for the first time and probably the only time too. 

On Friday I went to a hotel where I met my new friend Sara. Our room was super tiny but very cute and cozy. We dropped off our bags and then were able to easily navigate ourselves to Disneyland Hong Kong!  I was able to use my free pass and since I could use it for up to 4 people and there was just the two of us, I surprised an unsuspecting couple in the ticket line with an invite to get in with us for free.  They were really surprised and grateful, especially the boyfriend.  He couldn't really believe that I just went up to him and said, "Hey there. Would you and your gf like to get in the park for free today?"  My response to his reaction was totally Disney cheezy and I said something corny like "Well I wouldn't be doing my job as a Disney employee if I didn't help people's dreams come true."  Ha ha.  The park had been decorated the night before with all the Christmas decorations and they had Christmas music playing everywhere which was great too.  It was also the opening day for the new Toy Story Park so we enjoyed the race car ride over there. I had to keep my eyes closed so I didn't scream too loud because if I looked I would get extra freaked out!  We did the typical jungle cruise, lion king show, main street parade, dumbo ride, It's a Small World, and Space Mountain. Disney HK isn't very big which is actually nice. I didn't feel like I had to pick and choose too much what to do and lines weren't long except at the new Toy Story park.  It was a fun day for sure.

Saturday Sara and I headed to the harbor. We took Star Ferry across and started snapping endless photos of the HK skylines. We sailed on a traditional junk boat through the harbor and then headed up to the peak for fantastic views of the city. It was AMAZING and not only were the views of the city great, but also the views of the numerous hot, European men that happened to be present as well!  After the peak we headed back to the other side of the harbor and waited for the symphony of lights show. The Symphony of lights show was recommended

 While waiting we met a really nice guy from Munich, Germany and we invited him to come to dinner with us at the night market. We were seated at at table with two other men in HK on business from Rhode Island.  By the end of the meal we were all pretty tired so we went back to our hotel and went to bed. In the morning we went to the HK History Museum and saw a large exhibit on the history of HK. The old photos of how the island looked around the turn of the century and even just a few decades ago compared with how the Island looks now was amazing to see. The crazy thing is that there was tons of construction going on over on HK Island so even more buildings and structures are being built up on the front of the Island. I'm not sure how that all works as far as building up land along the water and making it suitable to construct such enormous and large buildings but it can't be easy. HK Island is very, very small and I'm amazed at how much they are able to build along the front. 

 

Hong Kong is a fantastic place! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new and exciting vacation spot.  There is a lot to do and see and I know in the few days I was there, I just hit a few high points and attractions. HK was really clean and the subway was so easy to navigate.  It was amazing how convenient everything was too. You can defnitely feel the difference between life and the freedom available in HK compared with the feeling and how things are more controlled and regulated on mainland China. I totally fell in love with Hong Kong and I'd go back anytime!

 

AKON

My awesome teacher assistant, Crystal, got free tickets to the AKON concert here in Beijing and gave one to me!  Okay so I admit I am not a hardcore fan of Akon, but I don't turn off the radio when he comes on and I thought it would be super fun to go anyway.  The concert was held at the MasterCard center which is the venue where the 2008 Olympic basketball competition was. In comparison with concert venues in the states such as The Staples Center or the Toyota Center, this place is pretty small. Just 3 levels of seats and the floor.  Beijing has a huge population of about 13 million and the concert still wasn't sold out and from what I can tell he is pretty popular here.  Chinese people are also fairly calm so they don't get up and scream as loud as us obnoxious westerners.  But I went and showed the Chinese how to really scream by shouting "I love you Akon" several times just because I could and for no other reason.  The show wasn't very long.  Just about an hour and 15 minutes.  I have heard that other concerts that have come to Beijing run about the same length of time and that even when Beyonce came it wasn't a long or elaborate show.  I am wondering if the powers that be have some major restrictions on what performers can and cannot do but at the same time I find it confusing because local Chinese performers tend to be a part of some pretty elaborate concerts (mostly in Shanghai).  but I digress, Akon had some young Chinese girls screaming as he ripped off his shirt and threw it at them and I could have done without the "She's Getting Naked" song.  He sang "Hold My Hand" as a tribute to Michael Jackson which I thought was nice. He ended singing a song dedicated to his homeland of Senegal titled "Freedom."  I think he forgot for a moment where he was because a song by that title would normally not be very accepted here by local officials but no one seemed to care so right on with that.  Enjoy the pics!

SWIMMING WORLD CUP

I got to go with friends to the World Cup Swimming compeition last night at the Olympic Park Watercube!  It was a really good time, not to mention I enjoyed looking at some very fine looking Australian men!  Most of the competitors were from China, Japan, and Australia. I was thinking there would be more variety in countries represented with the Olympics fast approaching next year in London but oh well. Not a single American swam in the races that we watched so I don't know if the American swimmers just sucked or if no one entered the competition.  I liked being able to attend an actual event at the Olympic Park - pretty cool!

Church at The Wall

A couple of weeks ago we had a special church service at The Great Wall.  It was a great experience aside from the cold and drizzly weather. I got to get to know some great people, meet a few new ones (including my fab roommate Holly), and got to spend time with others that have become amazing friends to me while I have been in China.  The hotel we stayed in was super cute and we got to climb the wall and in the evening enjoyed a bit of entertainment with a member of the Bishopric rapping about being a Mormon Missionary and a few interesting skits. :)  In the morning after breakfast we all met in an upper courtyard sitting outside with our jackets, hats, and blankets for our church service.  The first speaker shared a bit of history about the wall and related some of that to what we experience in our lives in building up our own walls. The second speaker spoke on the pioneers and the sacrifices they made crossing the plains.  The experience of being able to meet as a Christian congregation at a place such as The Great Wall gave me quite a bit to think about.  I'm grateful for a great deal and am very glad I have been able to grow in my faith while being in China.
 

DATONG

I went with some coworkers to the city of Datong a couple of weeks ago.  It was my first trip out of Beijing and also my first China train adventure.  I'm not a fan of Chinese train travel after this trip (grossest bathrooms ever)!  But luckily I had fabulous company and saw some fantastic sights.  Datong is about 6 hours Northwest of Beijing and is a coal mining city - 300 coal mines!  The air wasn't as bad as I thought it would be which was great and we had great weather the day we were there also.  Our tour guide said it had actually snowed there a couple of days before - crazy!  We went to go see the famous Hanging Monestary. It is a very old structure attached and built on a stone mountain.  We were told that the structure will probably be closed to tourists in a couple of years so I am glad I got to go.  After the monestary we drove back to Datong city and got to see the grottos filled with old Buddha sculptures and statues. It was extremely impressive - loved it! 
 

VISIT

The first week of October, one of my closest friends, JaLane, came to visit me in Beijing. JaLane was my next door neighbor my first year of college and then my roommate the second year.  We've stayed friends now for 18 years and I love her to death along with the rest of the ladies I lived with and got to know those first two years of school. While JaLane was here I took her to the touristy sights - Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Hutongs, etc... and we had such a great time. Some of the places we went to I had been to before but this time around there was so much more going on.  The weather was great and so there were more locals in the parks exercising, singing, and dancing and there were several performances we got to view as well which was fantastic.  We went to the bell and drum towers and got to participate in and learn about the traditional Chinese tea ceremony and after our hutong tour we wasted no time looking in fun shops and spending money on super cute embroidered shoes!  JaLane and I also went to the Lao She teahouse where we got to see several traditional performances of  musical story telling, comedy, Chinese opera, etc... The magician they had was not very impressive and the two brothers doing the comedy routine took too much time but I loved the performer who demonstrated the tradtional face changing.  I made sure that my friend got plenty of shopping in and got to try some yummy food as well although she didn't seem to care for the duck. We went to a FABULOUS brunch at The Westin hotel and ate lots of potato wires! I was really grateful to have another friend come visit me here in Beijing! Enjoy the photos!