Thursday, July 31, 2008
Day 2 and 3 in China
Day 2 and 3 in China….a real post (now with pictures)!!!
July 31st, 2008
Greetings again from the DeSpains. Our last post was a little
short and visually stunted but this one should make up for that. Day 2
in China saw us meet the day at 9 and after a quick breakfast and some
confusing language exchanges we were on our way to the Hutong area. We
enjoyed a traditional Chinese lunch and were then led to our rides for
the Hutong Tour. While there we were able to see the old style of
Chinese living arrangements involving one courtyard shared by many
families who each lived in one of around 12 rooms surrounding the
courtyard. After that we were shown the more rare style of living where
one family had their own courtyard and many rooms at their disposal.
Our tour guide then took us to Prince Wong’s Palace to view the gardens and buildings that were so large that the emperor decided to have the man killed for trying to rival him.
Another ride took us around more of the Hutong area where we viewed the locals in everyday life; running small street shops, riding bikes as their everyday transportation, or laying about playing what I believe was Majong or Chinese checkers. A little later our tour ended and we said goodbye to our tour guide. Mom and Micah retired to their rooms for a little nap (4 to 5 hours in fact) while Nathan and myself (if I haven’t told you, Daniel is typing this) decided to do a little sight seeing on our own. We visited many shops, malls, and stands along the road, tried the local cuising and drinks and overall had a very fun experience. One thing I noticed is that many people stared at me, not because of my eyes, hair, or color of skin; no, they stared at my feet. I was wearing completely white shoes so I don’t know that had something to do with it or if I just have very large feet. Who knows?
After a decent nights rest (though we did wake up at some odd hours), we met our guide Jolin in the lobby of our hotel and were on our way by 8:30 a.m. Our first stop was a tour of a jade museum where we saw priceless jade and how it is shaped into intricate figurines and jewelry. After that we were on our way to the Ming tombs, the resting place of 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. It is hard to describe the beuty and detail of these massive shrines to the late emeperors of China. Massive gates and temples are home to the treasures and worship places of these rulers while they were actually buried on the hills nearby.
A quick lunch and short time later and we were on our way to the Great Wall (or Changcheng in Mandarin Chinese). Once again, its hard to put into words the immensity of this, one of the 8 Wonders of the World. The climb is hard at points and the steps are steep, but the view from one of the towers on the peak of a mountain is breathtaking. The wall itself is said to be 3 to 4 thousand miles long and we were amazed by the one mile we ended up walking. The history behind it is amazing as well ( we learned that people who died while working on it were used as mortor for the Wall).
After that exhausting trek we were able to catch a few minutes of sleep before going to a tradtional Chinese tea house for a tea ceremony. The ceremony is a treat to watch and the teas are like nothing we regularly have in America. Trust me when I say that they take their tea very seriously and for good reason. These were some of the best and most unique teas we had ever tasted. After that we went to dinner for another traditional dish, Beijing duck. I think it was good, but the others had some varying opinions concerning the matter. By this point we were all pretty exhausted and after a taxi ride (which was very cheap, only 4 American dollars. Find that in America if you can!) back to the hotel we promply passed out. We’re about to go on our city tour now so until next time…
p.s.
It’s Kim’s birthday here in China (August 1) and Rick’s birthday in America (July 31). This is probably the only time they will share a birthday on the same day. Happy Birthday mom and dad!!!
Love,
Kim, Daniel, Nathan, and Micah
Our tour guide then took us to Prince Wong’s Palace to view the gardens and buildings that were so large that the emperor decided to have the man killed for trying to rival him.
Another ride took us around more of the Hutong area where we viewed the locals in everyday life; running small street shops, riding bikes as their everyday transportation, or laying about playing what I believe was Majong or Chinese checkers. A little later our tour ended and we said goodbye to our tour guide. Mom and Micah retired to their rooms for a little nap (4 to 5 hours in fact) while Nathan and myself (if I haven’t told you, Daniel is typing this) decided to do a little sight seeing on our own. We visited many shops, malls, and stands along the road, tried the local cuising and drinks and overall had a very fun experience. One thing I noticed is that many people stared at me, not because of my eyes, hair, or color of skin; no, they stared at my feet. I was wearing completely white shoes so I don’t know that had something to do with it or if I just have very large feet. Who knows?
After a decent nights rest (though we did wake up at some odd hours), we met our guide Jolin in the lobby of our hotel and were on our way by 8:30 a.m. Our first stop was a tour of a jade museum where we saw priceless jade and how it is shaped into intricate figurines and jewelry. After that we were on our way to the Ming tombs, the resting place of 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. It is hard to describe the beuty and detail of these massive shrines to the late emeperors of China. Massive gates and temples are home to the treasures and worship places of these rulers while they were actually buried on the hills nearby.
A quick lunch and short time later and we were on our way to the Great Wall (or Changcheng in Mandarin Chinese). Once again, its hard to put into words the immensity of this, one of the 8 Wonders of the World. The climb is hard at points and the steps are steep, but the view from one of the towers on the peak of a mountain is breathtaking. The wall itself is said to be 3 to 4 thousand miles long and we were amazed by the one mile we ended up walking. The history behind it is amazing as well ( we learned that people who died while working on it were used as mortor for the Wall).
After that exhausting trek we were able to catch a few minutes of sleep before going to a tradtional Chinese tea house for a tea ceremony. The ceremony is a treat to watch and the teas are like nothing we regularly have in America. Trust me when I say that they take their tea very seriously and for good reason. These were some of the best and most unique teas we had ever tasted. After that we went to dinner for another traditional dish, Beijing duck. I think it was good, but the others had some varying opinions concerning the matter. By this point we were all pretty exhausted and after a taxi ride (which was very cheap, only 4 American dollars. Find that in America if you can!) back to the hotel we promply passed out. We’re about to go on our city tour now so until next time…
p.s.
It’s Kim’s birthday here in China (August 1) and Rick’s birthday in America (July 31). This is probably the only time they will share a birthday on the same day. Happy Birthday mom and dad!!!
Love,
Kim, Daniel, Nathan, and Micah
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Ni Hao to all
Hello to everyone from Kim, Daniel, Nathan and Micah! We’re a
little late on our first post due some internet confusion but now we can
finally put one up. After nearly 24 hours in airport waiting, plane
delays, and 3 flights, we eventually made it to Beijing. Our tour guide
Jolin met us at the airport and after a short ride we made it to our
hotel. A little walking to explore this new place and a few hours later
and we were sound asleep (thankfully!!!).
We’re off to see the Great Wall right now so we’ll continue this post later tonight.
Love,
The DeSpains
We’re off to see the Great Wall right now so we’ll continue this post later tonight.
Love,
The DeSpains
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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