Beijing- 8/30/2009- Great Wall, Tianan'men Square and the Forbidden City

The Great Wall of China is so much more than great. Its the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Me and the three guys on my team hiked as far as we could. I'm guessing about thStree miles. It was tough and some of it was straight up. To get back down, we paid to ride bob sleds. It was a blast.

Stinking and sweaty, we went to a silk factory and learned how they make ugly bug cacoons into beautiful sheets and clothing. It was so tempting not to buy anything, but it was really expensive. In the apparel section, I tried on lots of clothes though because all the guys wanted to buy gifts for their wives. Size was hard to determine because Chinese women are so much smaller than american women. I was a large, so that helped my teammates know what size to buy for their wives. I ended the night with a Thai food dinner at the mall, which was madness.


Tianan'men square and the Forbidden City
Today we went to Tianan'men Square and to the Forbidden City. It was within walking distance from the hotel. Tiananmen square is very important to the communist party movement. People from all other China come to see it. Many of the people have never seen “foreigners” as they like to call us. Many people stared at me; some even asked if they could take a photo with me, or they just walked by and snapped one. It was strange. There's an African guy in my class who has a very dark complexion and and 6'7" guy. They received a ton of attention as well. It was funny. The Forbidden City (previous home to Chinese royalty) was very reflective of what you would expect in Chinese architecture. Everything was red and yellow/gold to reflect the royal stature. I have great photos to share later.

Next, we went riding through a little town in pedicabs two-by-two. It was neat to see where people live. Chinese families live in what I'd call a compound. Its three or four houses with a open-air courtyard in the middle and one single entrance. Its usually lived in by several generations of the same family, or as was the case today, by three brothers and their families.
In the evening, we went to a kung fu show. It was very beautiful with amazing colors, music and talented artists. Unfortunately, I am beat. I'm running on just 5 hours of sleep. So, you know I was doing a little nodding off during the slow parts. I felt badly, but I just can't help it. That's why I'm in early tonight.

Last Day in Hong Kong- 8/28/2009

Just when I thought I was accustomed to the 12 hour time difference, I woke up at 3am this morning and could not get back to sleep. Luckily, my roommate Jen was suffering from the same so we woke up chatted, and ate snacks. At 5:30am we headed downstairs to meet the rest of the group, then hopped in a cab, then on a subway, then on a plane to Beijing. I was reading a travel magazine and it sounds like we're going to get a much bigger taste of Chinese culture in Beijing. I can't wait. I just hope I don't accidentally order freeze dried insects for dinner.

Hong Kong- 8/27/2009

Thursday was another long day with a lot of walking. We met in the lobby at 10am to give ourselves more time to sleep in. Some folks still aren't accustomed to the new time zone, but the long days are wearing me out enough that I can sleep. We decided to try brunch at a dim sum restaurant. When we walked in, my 6'9” friend Ira lead the way. Needless to say, we got a lot of stares. Plus, we were the only white folks there, which is surprising because Hong Kong has been very culturally diverse. We sat down at a table for eight. After about 20 minutes waiting, we decided to flag down a waiter. In HK, they don't just walk up and ask you what you want like in the US. You have to flag them down and request everything, but its not bad because there's always a lot of people standing around and waiting to help you. We checked random boxes on the menu and hoped for the best. The food turned out to be quite tasty. NOTHING like Chinese food in the states. It was so much better. I'm getting really good at using chop sticks.

After the dim sum, we went to the top of Victoria Peak. Its a mountain top in HK that overlooks the whole city. It was amazingly beautiful. We overlooked tall sky scrapers that were surrounded by waterways with ferries and fisherman. The city line is encapsulated by gorgeous green mountain ranges. The photos don't do it justice. The sky was always a bit overcast, so fog kept you from seeing mountains in the distance. I did a bit of shopping on the peak because there were a lot of shops with cute stuff. So much stuff that I had to ship it home.

Next, we went to Kowloon. I decided to get a custom tailored suit, so today was my last fitting. I shipped that home too. We walked around in Kowloon for a while and found a Peking place for dinner. Dinner was also excellent. I'm a big fan of peking duck and the pork dumplings. We ended the night with a ferry ride along the bay. The light show on the buildings was like something in Las Vegas. Its in bed by 10pm for me tonight.

Tomorrow morning we're up at 4:30am so we can get to the airport in time to catch our flight to Beijing. Stay tuned ; )

Finally, some photos

This first pictures is off the waterways surrounding Hong Kong. We took a ferry just because it was prettier than the subway.

Then, we went and got sized for hand crafted suits. That was cool. Next it was off to the world's largest Buddha. This was the most beautiful mountain top I've even been on. It was amazing and I didn't want to come down.

At the Buddha, we ate what was called Ramen noodles, but they were much much better than the freeze dried stuff they pass off as Ramen in the states. At around 6pm we went to the open market. That was overwhelming and it first we were all kind of dumfounded. I don't think I've seen that many people in one place at a time.

Gotta run. I don't want to be late for my first dim sum breakfast. This will be a far cry from my normal omelette, but I am glad to jump outside the comfort zone. All this new stuff has been really cool. Stay tuned.

Hong Kong is awesome

It's been a long long day. I was up and out at 9am. We went to the tailor and several of my friends decided to purchase hand tailored suit. They talked me into doing the same. It was a great price, and its about the same as I'd pay at Anne Taylor, so why not get a suit especially made for me? Next, we went to Lantau Island, home of the world's largest Buddha. The Buddha and all the statues were super cool, but the most amazing part was the overlook. Islands in the water looked as beautiful as those in the Caribean. The water was bright blue and the islands were healthy green. A light fog fell over the mountains like a tender white blanket blowing up and down with every surge of breeze.

I'll be posting photos in the morning (night for you). Right now I'm writing because I still have not conditioned myself to the time difference. Today was a long day with lots of walking, but somehow, I'm not tired. Perhaps its my excitement over this new exciting place. I almost forgot to mention the open market. It was overwhelming. I've never seen so many people in one place. But, Jeff has taught me to be a super bargainer, so I got a few good deals on merchandise. Very fun!

Pics coming in the morning (am for me, pm for you). Stay tuned!

Arrived in Hong Kong

I arrived in Hong Kong at 8pm on Tuesday (HK time). The flight was 16 hours, but it wasn't too bad because no one was sitting next to me. Immigration and customs was easy. They just stamped my Passport, and I proceeded to baggage. We took a subway from the airport to downtown Hong Kong. I cannot wait to ride the subway in the daytime. The buildings look amazing at night with all their lights, and it looked like we were riding beside various waterways. Speaking of the buildings, they are huge and so different, amazingly modern. My friends say it reminds them of the buildings in New York City.

We arrived at the hotel at 11pm. In HK, most everyone speaks both mandarin and English, which makes for an easier transition out of the states. Probably won't be the case in Beijing and Shanghai.

Sorry no photos yet, but its night time. Tomorrow we're off to Lantau Island, home of the world's biggest Buddha, so those pictures should be cool. Stay tuned ; )

Will I ever be ready?

I am trying hard to get everything packed today, and my "to-do" list is so long. At some point, I'm just going to have to say, "that's it; I'm done" and wish for the best. I leave tomorrow around noon and will be flying all through the night. My next post probably won't be until Tuesday morning (your time); it'll be the evening in Hong Kong (12 hour time difference).