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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment