Greetings Blog
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Great Wall
I had the opportunity to visit the Great Wall, and I must say it is a necessary stop for anyone traveling to China. I found the views to be breath-taking, or maybe that was the smog on that day? Anyway, it was beautiful nonetheless and I will definitely return to the Great Wall during my future visits to China.
My péngyǒu (朋友-friend) Greg and I met a couple of adventurous Brits, Lottie and Hayley, who joined us for our journey. It started off with about an hour and a half on a bus. We weren't quite certain which stop we needed to get off at, nor what to expect when we got there. We came to a bus stop with a lot of men standing around. One of them saw me and motioned to me that he wanted us to get off there. We weren't exactly sure why they wanted us to get off there, so we stayed on the bus. At the next bus stop, a man jumped onto the bus and motioned for us to get off. Greg talked to him for a moment and informed us that he was a driver who would take us to the Great Wall. Turns out, that at the previous bus stop, the men standing around were also drivers, ha! Good thing this guy got to us, we could have been on that bus for a while.
We negotiated a price with the driver, it ended up being 100 kuai. Not bad, roughly $16 for four people on a one-way, hour long ride. He took us on some winding roads that went through some agricultural areas that were being prepared for farming. We also went through a small village. Many villagers were walking on the main road or standing outside their homes talking with neighbors. I thought the village was a little rough looking and that it would be a difficult life to reside there.
Not far from the village, we reached the Huanghua Great Wall. We could see the Great Wall stretching off into the distance on top of high ridges. It looked like a steep hike to the top, so we decided to get some food before embarking on the difficult climb. We ended choosing a little restaurant with outdoor seating. We needed to traverse a rickety bridge over some water to get there. We ate some typical Chinese dishes and then continued on to the wall.
We made our way to the entrance of the Great Wall, crossing a dam in the process, and paid 2 kuai to hike up a gravel path and climb a metal ladder, which if you fell off of, you had a 100% chance of being seriously injured while you roll down the steep rocky embankment. We scaled the ladder and made it to the top of the wall. From here on out we took our time to take in the scenery. We snapped photos, cracked jokes, and imagined what it was like for the people who built and worked on the wall.
This portion of the wall was not very touristy. We saw only 4-5 westerners here. Most of the visitors to this section were from China. This portion of the wall is around 500 years old and is host to beautiful summer-scenery when the yellow flowers bloom. Most people who come here are looking for a more rugged experience; good footwear is highly recommended.
When all was said and done, we made our way back to the road where our driver was waiting for us. We paid him another 100 kuai and we started our journey back to the bus stop to catch a ride back to Beijing. I think we all slept the whole way back, we were beat!
Take a peak at the photos to see some of the sights I took in!
坐公车 Zuò gōng chē to take a bus
My péngyǒu (朋友-friend) Greg and I met a couple of adventurous Brits, Lottie and Hayley, who joined us for our journey. It started off with about an hour and a half on a bus. We weren't quite certain which stop we needed to get off at, nor what to expect when we got there. We came to a bus stop with a lot of men standing around. One of them saw me and motioned to me that he wanted us to get off there. We weren't exactly sure why they wanted us to get off there, so we stayed on the bus. At the next bus stop, a man jumped onto the bus and motioned for us to get off. Greg talked to him for a moment and informed us that he was a driver who would take us to the Great Wall. Turns out, that at the previous bus stop, the men standing around were also drivers, ha! Good thing this guy got to us, we could have been on that bus for a while.
Not far from the village, we reached the Huanghua Great Wall. We could see the Great Wall stretching off into the distance on top of high ridges. It looked like a steep hike to the top, so we decided to get some food before embarking on the difficult climb. We ended choosing a little restaurant with outdoor seating. We needed to traverse a rickety bridge over some water to get there. We ate some typical Chinese dishes and then continued on to the wall.We made our way to the entrance of the Great Wall, crossing a dam in the process, and paid 2 kuai to hike up a gravel path and climb a metal ladder, which if you fell off of, you had a 100% chance of being seriously injured while you roll down the steep rocky embankment. We scaled the ladder and made it to the top of the wall. From here on out we took our time to take in the scenery. We snapped photos, cracked jokes, and imagined what it was like for the people who built and worked on the wall.
This portion of the wall was not very touristy. We saw only 4-5 westerners here. Most of the visitors to this section were from China. This portion of the wall is around 500 years old and is host to beautiful summer-scenery when the yellow flowers bloom. Most people who come here are looking for a more rugged experience; good footwear is highly recommended.
When all was said and done, we made our way back to the road where our driver was waiting for us. We paid him another 100 kuai and we started our journey back to the bus stop to catch a ride back to Beijing. I think we all slept the whole way back, we were beat!
Take a peak at the photos to see some of the sights I took in!
坐公车 Zuò gōng chē to take a bus
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| Hotels, Restaurants and a few homes below the wall |
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| Old boat frozen in the ice behind the dam |
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| Hayley's attempt at using chopsticks |
East Nanjing Road
East Nanjing Road is a very popular stop for foreigners visiting Shanghai. It is one of the best areas for shopping, as it has almost everything a foreigner could ask for! One can easily find any high-end merchandise in the world famous department stores, or just as easily find a knock off of the same item in one of the many alleyways! I decided to take to the alleyways to find some quality clothes at a fraction of the price.
It is not difficult to end up in one of the shops that are not easily noticeable. When walking along East Nanjing Road, one is constantly bombarded with requests to view their goods for sale. Most of the shops carry the same items: watches, DVDs, clothing, bags, jewelery, etc., and the shops are always located in buildings that one would never think to enter; if China did not have such a low crime-rate, then I probably would not feel comfortable entering these shops.
In order to purchase items in these shops, one must be willing to bargain. Shop owners often ask for the same as a department store would charge, as was the case in the first shop I visited when I looked at a shirt and a pair of pants. Their initial offer was around 480 kuai, roughly $75. I counter-offered with 75 kuai and we went back and forth until I reached 150 kuai and they asked for 250 kuai. I had told myself that I would not buy a pair of pants for more than that, so I tried to offer 175 kuai for the pants and shirt. We continued to bargain and they would not budge below 225 kuai, so I said good bye and that I will be looking elsewhere for clothes. Usually, this will get the merchant to accept your final offer, or counter offer with a lower price than their last offer, but it did not happen this time.
I continued down the street, turning down countless offers for marijuana, women, and cheap products. I ran into another merchant asking if I wanted clothes and I agreed to follow him. We ended up in another sketchy looking shop, but I was able to find some nice pants, a shirt, and some socks for 175 kuai! The pants I looked at were a little long in the legs, but that was not a problem. They promptly took my measurements and sewed the pants to my leg length at no extra charge! Having found what I was looking for, I bid adieu to East Nanjing Road and headed back to the dorm.
Below are some photos of East Nanjing Road:
You would not find this in the U.S.!
I was walking the streets that surround the campus looking for some tasty breakfast and I stumbled across an odd street vendor. She was cooking jidanbing guozi (鸡蛋饼馃子). It is a thin crepe/pancake topped with egg, green onions, cilantro/coriander, pickled vegetables and lajiao (chili sauce), with a piece of meat and fried bread culminating into a burrito-like breakfast sandwich.
So, I am standing in line waiting for my tasty breakfast burrito when my eyes start to take in the little shop. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Apparently, when she isn't cooking up something tasty on her grill, she helping people's sexual frustrations by moonlighting as sex shop! In the photo below, you can see some of the blow up dolls on the back shelf and the Sex Shoppe Chef in action!
做饭 Zuò fàn To cook
So, I am standing in line waiting for my tasty breakfast burrito when my eyes start to take in the little shop. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Apparently, when she isn't cooking up something tasty on her grill, she helping people's sexual frustrations by moonlighting as sex shop! In the photo below, you can see some of the blow up dolls on the back shelf and the Sex Shoppe Chef in action!
Chinese New Year
It's that time of year again! The largest annual migration of the human race! That's right, Chinese New Year is quickly approaching! 4 days from now, Shanghai will be filled with the sounds of fireworks echoing off the tall skyscrapers that are ever-present in the city. The fireworks are meant to ward off the mythical creature that comes to the villages to eat livestock and children, oh my! Apparently, most of China will be full of the noise from fireworks for the first 7-15 days of the lunar new year, depending on which village or city you visit.
Most people celebrate this holiday with their families. On New Year's Eve, they gather together and indulge themselves with an enormous amount of food! Children and the elderly receive red envelopes that contain money. For the children, the money signifies luck. For the elderly, it signifies longevity. (As I write this, my dorm room is being bombarded by the sounds of fireworks. Apparently people like to start early in the celebrations). This is just a brief introduction to Chinese New Year, and the holiday has a lot of depth to it. I would suggest checking out wikipedia's entry.
During this time, I plan to do a lot of exploring of Shanghai. I will be walking most of the way until: A) I have worn through the tread of my shoes, B) my feet hurt too much to walk, or C) I go someplace I am not supposed to be and get picked up by the police :) Let's hope it's A...
I'll be posting pictures of anything I find!
足部疼痛 Zú bù téngtòng Foot pain
Most people celebrate this holiday with their families. On New Year's Eve, they gather together and indulge themselves with an enormous amount of food! Children and the elderly receive red envelopes that contain money. For the children, the money signifies luck. For the elderly, it signifies longevity. (As I write this, my dorm room is being bombarded by the sounds of fireworks. Apparently people like to start early in the celebrations). This is just a brief introduction to Chinese New Year, and the holiday has a lot of depth to it. I would suggest checking out wikipedia's entry.
During this time, I plan to do a lot of exploring of Shanghai. I will be walking most of the way until: A) I have worn through the tread of my shoes, B) my feet hurt too much to walk, or C) I go someplace I am not supposed to be and get picked up by the police :) Let's hope it's A...
I'll be posting pictures of anything I find!
足部疼痛 Zú bù téngtòng Foot pain
English Tutor
I started tutoring a 13 year-old Chinese boy today! I was introduced to him and his mother through the USAC program director, You Sha. Basically, I meet him and his mother at Starbucks and help him with words that he does not understand. He has been studying English for about six years already, so his English is very good.
He was kind of shy at first, but after talking to him for a while he opened up. We talked about what he likes to do in Shanghai, and sports he likes to play in school. Apparently he is a very good at volleyball and basketball, but he recently broke his finger so he is unable to play.
After getting to know each other, we started with a review of his English lessons. He read very well, and I only had to listen for errors in his speech, which there were none! We finished up the session by starting to read James and the Giant Peach together. He said that he has looked at this book, but there are a few words that are too difficult for him. When we got to a word that he did not know I tried my best to explain what the word meant and how it was used. I believe he got the idea of what most of the words meant.
I think I will enjoy this job very much! The pay is roughly $15 per hour, and I get a free Starbucks coffee! Next week, I need to bring him a picture of a rhinoceros. He does not know what this animal looks like and he thought I was describing a horse or a type of dog!
犀牛 Xīniú Rhinoceros
He was kind of shy at first, but after talking to him for a while he opened up. We talked about what he likes to do in Shanghai, and sports he likes to play in school. Apparently he is a very good at volleyball and basketball, but he recently broke his finger so he is unable to play.
After getting to know each other, we started with a review of his English lessons. He read very well, and I only had to listen for errors in his speech, which there were none! We finished up the session by starting to read James and the Giant Peach together. He said that he has looked at this book, but there are a few words that are too difficult for him. When we got to a word that he did not know I tried my best to explain what the word meant and how it was used. I believe he got the idea of what most of the words meant.
I think I will enjoy this job very much! The pay is roughly $15 per hour, and I get a free Starbucks coffee! Next week, I need to bring him a picture of a rhinoceros. He does not know what this animal looks like and he thought I was describing a horse or a type of dog!
犀牛 Xīniú Rhinoceros
The Xitang Water Village
The USAC group traveled to Xitang Water Village on our way back to Shanghai. This place was beautiful, but kind of a let down for what I was expecting. There was a lot of trash in the river system, and almost every shop sold the exact same cheap lighter, or puzzle, or monkey made out of wood. It was the same case with the food too! I had seen pictures of this place before and I expected that those pictures only gave a taste of what this village had to offer, but I was wrong. Also, Tom Cruise's picture was placed about the village in the locations where they filmed part of Mission Impossible 3 (I haven't seen this movie, and visiting this village does not increase my wanting to see this movie at all). Overall, I am glad I was able to come, and I got a few nice pics!
水 Shuǐ Water
水 Shuǐ Water
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This online album has 16 photos on SkyDrive. | |||||
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