South Korea

Well, I am out of China. Saturday saw me flying from Dalian to South Korea to visit my good buddy Tim. Going through the airport was fairly easy for me considering the language barrier. Everything over here is written in english as well as Chinese. So yay for growing up in a country where english was my first language. There was a moment of panic as I walked to the kiosk to check in and no one was on the other side. I looked around and everyone else on that side of the airport seemed to be calm and just sitting. Thinking this could be some cultural thing I just took a seat. Slowly people started to walk up and leave their bags behind the queue line and then sat down, i soon followed suit. This was also the first time i had seen the concept of a line being followed. So with about 2 hours till the plane took off some attendants finally came out and checked us all through quickly.  Was able to catch a 40 minute nap on the plane once i sat down, before we had even taken off. Problem was, when I woke up we still had not gone anywhere. So what was supposed to be a 40 minute flight total last about 2 hours, most of which was spent waiting at the gate.

Upon arriving in SK, it was a fairly simple process of following the crowd of people and hoping that I had done my research right and did not need a VISA to enter SK. Luckily I did not. Tim greeted me on the other side of the luggage.

First night we went out and he introduced me to some of his buddies he has made here. Lots of Americans, not many Canadians. Though i was just happy to be able to understand the majority of the conversation around me. Tim lives in a very western styled area with lots of people from US, Canada, England.

My first morning here was amazing, waking up a hockey game. Due to the time difference I was able to catch the tail end of the Anaheim-Chicago game. And with the schedule for the cup final out, as long as it goes to game 6 or 7 i should be home in time to watch it.  Then went to a baseball game and a finally a friend of Tims had a little BBQ for people.

So after three weeks of Dalian I am back in travel mode. The three weeks turned out to be a great learning experience, both in how to deal with ELL students and how to remain professional in the face of criticism. It was bitter sweet to leave the group i had been with for a month, but great to see an old friend and a new country.  Really want to fill up my 10 year passport and now I have the travel bug even worse than before.

The week ahead has trips to the DMZ, 4D imax movies, triva nights, all you can eat Korean BBQ, NBA championship, museums, temples, reliable internet, maybe a soccer game and maybe a noraebang some night. So clearly I am gonna enjoy myself.

Babcock is a Leaf and I am a Teacher

Its 8:14 on Sunday night, I have one more week here to finish up my third placement. I have certainly faced some struggles adjusting, though some really good positives are coming out of it. Those who are doing this placement in the future will benefit from my struggles, which was the whole point of the trip.
This week is a short one as there are no classes on Thursday because it is a student sports day, and Wednesday is a half day because there is professional development presentation going on.
I am mostly done my planning for this week, just have to come up with an idea for a 40 min activity comparing the Ming and Qing dynasties.....any ideas?
I just put a lesson together on Zheng He, really interesting person. If you have a couple minutes check him out. Puts Christopher Columbus to shame.

This past weekend featured a few more new adventures. Friday night we ventured out to try a KTV. This is essentially kareoke, except you are in a private room and you buy a package based on how long you want to be there and how much beer you want. We opted for 2 hours with 24 beers for our group of 6. Lots of fun. One of the group cut their thumb pretty bad trying to open a beer, they have weird cap systems here. He has a tendency to pass out after seeing blood, so we had an incapacitated person with us all night. Made for a good laugh when 15 chinese girls came in and sang to us.

Saturday I did a big hike up Big Black Mountain (大黑山 Dàhēishān), which was amazing. Two teachers at Maple Leaf were going and invited me along. One of their local friends completed our group of 4. Really steep but gave me a great view of Dalian, Kaifaqu and Jinshitan. Put the whole place in perspective. Probably spent about 4 hours hiking around the different peaks of the mountain. Met lots of locals who were doing the same and once again became the subject of Chinese picture albums. After exhausting our inner mountain goats, we checked out a Buddhist temple and a Daoist temple that were on the mountain. We wussed out on the walk down and got a taxi. they only told me there was a road up after we had scrambles up the other side. I bought myself a new day bag for my time in South Korea and Shanghai. Very happy with it and all for the low cost of 90 yuan. 

Saturday night saw another excursion out on the town, which ended with countless matches of Foosball. I lost every one. Then proceeded to lose about 8 matches of connect four. The bartender of the pub we visited played our whole group and collectively won about 20 to 2 over us. 

Today (Sunday) I did some planning in the morning, did a big walk around the beach, and just finished another marathon planning lesson. The upside is that I have the best internet connection I have had since I was in China so I was able to utilize the internet to help.  The restaurant/cafe I am in is empty except for our group of teachers. 

As I look ahead to the upcoming week, I am staying positive about it amid some struggles and frustrations. There are three things that will help me with it. 1. Knowing I am going to see a good buddy of mine, Tim, I have not seen in a while and have him show me his digs in South Korea. 2. The group I am with from lakehead. They are an awesome bunch and have absolutely contributed to my enjoyment of this week. 3. The fact that I got an email from OCT confirming I am a certified teacher in Ontario.

I am gonna take some time and reflect on that last point. About this point last year I was waiting to hear back from various school. It was time to take some direction into life and build towards something. I am completely and utterly happy with everything that has happened this year. It was a big year for me and I still have lots more to accomplish. Next year will be even better as I transition into teaching. Thanks to those that constantly push me to grow and move on to better things. I am aware of my stubbornness and know I can be difficult, but hey I am a Berg. 

I have heard nothing but good things about the city I am moving to (Nanchang). If anyone is interested here is a website to look at cost of living (http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/nanchang?currency=CAD). Dinner at an Italian restaurant with wine and dessert...$39. Not bad. 

Oh and Babcock to Leafs. Called it.  Now all we need to do is move Kessel for a high draft pick and prospects, try and move Lupul for a solid D to help even the burden and resign Bernier to 4 year 4 million contract and I am happy with the offseason. Should I put my name in for the hunt for a GM?

Guess if I am talking about hockey I have run out of other things to talk about. 

Next post will probably be from South Korea.

Dad- changed idea for dinner when I am home. Want to go back to the place we went before I left. Nachos have been on my mind. Again, I am clearly a Berg.

Dandong- AKA Great Wall Part 2

I believe I left the last post on my way out for some celebration beers with the end of the first week and the realization that I had pasted teachers college. 

The night was a blast. Took a taxi into town as we squished five us into the cab, once again being the tallest helped out as I was given the front. The bar the other teachers had talked up was very basic, clearly a lack of other options has propped it up. The best part of the night was by far the late night snacks. Just amazing selection of street eats, all barbecued up right in front of you. Really puts everything else to shame. Except maybe pizza corner, that is hard to beat.

The next day was a great day. Went to the local saturday market where I was happy wondering around checking out prices on everything from strawberries to cooking wear to clothes to pretty much everything. The best part by far was buying a blouse for Justin. So some background information is needed. We have a game going called "What are the Odds". Essentially as a way to spice up our trip, if you come up with an idea that seems a little ridiculous, you can ask the person what are the odds they will do it and they respond between 1 and 100. If you choose 100 then you obviously dont want to do it. You then count to three and the person who asked and the person who was asked say a number between 1 and 100 at the same time and if they line up they have to do it. So after that complex introduction, Justin had to wear a very colorful blouse that was quite tight on him for the whole day. As we watched him wear it there was a good amount of laughter at him. The best was when another male, a local, bought the shirt and started strutting around it, clearly a fashion statement. 

From the market we had breakfast at Stans, this guy is a beauty. Walking in he just casually mentions "So they are going to execute the boston marathon bomber". Clearly he is starved for conversation with North Americans. So that was great.

Went to the beach after which was the site of the Beijing Olympics Volleyball tournament. I can understand why as it was beautiful with great panoramic view. Lay on the beach and played some frisbee. Nice relaxing couple hours. From the beach went back to my office on campus (beach is a 15 min walk).

The next day we (our group of 6 plus Jan {coordinator of whole trip} and Bill, another education student going through the program in Edmonton who is from china aka our unpaid translator) squish into 2 cars and head to Dandong. Those who wish can look up the location, I suggest you do to get a sense of the adventure we felt on the way there. When we arrive we walk around the pier and then go to lunch at a traditional North Korean restaurant (seriously, look up Dandong before continuing to read) . Here we waited about two hours for sushi, have not idea how it takes so long, During this time we had two Korean girls sing to us (a weird Korean Karaoke thing) and invite me and Justin up to dance. At the end I was given flowers to present to the dancers, so I may be married now.

After this we went to another section of the great wall. It was not nearly as big a climb to the top as our previous excursion, but I was huffing and puffing as I reached the top. Only to be passed by a 70 year old man with 48 bottles of water on his back. This guys stamina was crazy. The view from the top was amazing. China on one side and North Korea on the other. I am still not sure how I feel being able to cast my gaze on a country ruled by a dictator with the possibility to launch the world into a nuclear war. Clearly me writing this blog means I am safe after getting so close, but I was definitely nervous there.

After the great wall we went and looked at some statutes about the Korean war then jammed backed into the car and drove back to Jinshitan for some much needed sleep for the next day.

I am gonna sign off for now. More to come. 

Here are some photos from earlier on in the trip. 

In order, me at the Ming Dynasty Tombs, Me before hiking great wall part, me on the great wall with members of my group, me about to enter forbidden city, great food, me facing off with a terra cotta warrior and the terra cotta warriors.

A Giant Abroad

Having a good internet connection I wanted to take the opportunity to post some photos. I think everyone will get a kick out of these

Life in Jinshitan

It is a beautiful Friday afternoon here in Jinshitan and I am at the office. Last one here, all the other teachers have gone home.
Today i supervised a three hour exam and spent the majority of time daydreaming of Halifax in the summer. Good thoughts there.

The second half of the day was not such good thoughts. If I was strong enough to pull my hair out I would probably be bald right now. Thankfully I have seen photos of my father with no hair to know that I would still be not half bad looking.


As for the living situation here, it is mixed. We asked for cheap apartments and we got them. I am still waiting on getting a hot plate or any form of cooking ability, which I have serious doubts about obtaining at all. Luckily  there are dozens of restaurants right beside the school that serve up cheap food for about $3-5 Canadian or 15-20 yuan. The issue is that you have to get your order in before the students. Since the whole high school has the same lunch (I do not know why they don't stagger it) you are in competition with all the students to get a seat. Considering that for most this is their only opportunity to get away from the school, it is like a big deal to go out for lunch.

I have finally figured out how the washing machine works and how the hot water heater works in my bathroom. There is only one plug for both so laundry is done at the beginning of the day to ensure the hot water tank has enough time to heat up for showers the next day. There were a couple times I was using a bucket shower technique I learned in India to wash. Cold showers and teaching just do not work.

My apartment is right by the other teachers in my group and we have all become quite co-dependent. Going out for dinner together and even going to the coffee shops for wifi together. A welcome addition is Bill , not sure if i mentioned him before, who went to Maple Leaf School and is doing his education degree in Edmonton. Having someone who knows the area and the language has helped allot. I will not be so lucky next year in Nanchang. Which is apparently a really nice city which is quite developed, so that is good.

Tonight we are all going into Kai Fa Qu by train to have some drinks. It has been a stressful week and I am looking forward to unwinding to some nice warm 3% beer as I listen to bad Chinese club music. I say warm because my colleague in the office tell me that most places use a fridge to hold beer, they just dont plug it in.

Tonight is also a celebration as I checked my email and got confirmation that I graduated from Lakehead. I also got First Class Standing which means I graduated with an A average. Considering I never checked my marks from first semester or during second semester I am pretty happy with it. Also helps if I want to go back and do a Masters of Education, something I am not considering and focusing on off-shore school districts. Anyone (aka Parents who need further confirmation) can check the following link for my name https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/96/2015/Final%20Senate%20List.pdf

As I am still the only one in the office and it is still sunny here I am gonna take off, catch a nap before going out and be happy that I am in a foreign country and grew up with a high standard of education.

Food and other thoughts

The food in China.

I am not sure how to adequately describe it compared to what the North American conception of Chinese food. The only thing I can say it that it is simply a hell of a lot better. It is all still cooked in oil, peanut oil to be specific, but it does not have all the starch and gluttonous aspect you get from places like The Mandarin. There is a whole lot more spice and a liberal use of garlic. Most dishes usually are a combination of hot peppers, either pork or beef, and some veggies. Cauliflower/broccoli, eggplant, potatoes and green beans seem to be the big veggies here.  Of course I am referring to the more traditional restraints that are serving this. If you are walking the street you will see a host of other types of food being served. It is like there are a thousand chip wagons, with each one selling something different. Some are called Hot Pots, where there is a variety of veggies, meats and spices and you pick and choose like at SubWay. All of this is thrown into a pot and boiled up and served for you.  Other places have either pork or beef on a stick and fried up. You really can find almost anything on the street.

However, if you end up in China and are not the adventurous type (do not know why you are in China then) there is a few restaurants you may recognize. McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut are all pretty frequent around here. It appears that China opened up in the last 5 years and these were the first to jump in. The food seems to be very similar and just as popular as in North America, with similar prices.

Generally things that are hard to find are dairy items. Cheese is in short supply and hardly available. Bread is hardly used. The idea of breakfast is also kind of foreign.  

One of the things I am liking about blogging is the randomness I am allowing myself.  So I am going to take this time to advertise China. I feel it is about to be the next place to travel. All of the airports and train stations I have been too are very easy to navigate. Now I have only been to three airports and two train stations but the ease of which I moved through them was definitely greater than a Chinese person would have moving through a Canadian airport. Everything is simple and straightforward. My recent experience with China Southern Airlines is an example of this. The weight restrictions on planes are a little weird. On domestic flights we were allowed 20 kilograms per person. So most of us were overweight and since I was the last to check my bag I was overweight and faced the prospect of  having to take out items. However, I was told I did not need to check my bag and could take in on as carry on. Anyone who has seen my big red travel bag, especially when I pack it to capacity, will know it is way to big for carry one. Air Canada officials would have a heart attack if I tried to claim it as carry on. Yet in China it was carry on. Who knows how that works. 

Getting onto the plane I was certainly worried about the size of the plane and whether a 6’6 person would physically fit on the plane. The quality of the plane was far superior to anything Air Canada had to offer. Enough leg room that I was comfortable. They served food pretty quickly and even came around offering seconds. Oddly enough the food came with a spork, not chopsticks. Though it did seem i was transported back in time as the movie that was playing was on the screens that come down from the roof every 5 rows or so.

As it were I was sitting next to a student who went to Maple Leaf Schools. His level of English was good enough for basic conversation which gives me hope that the students in grade 11 will have a good command of English. I was glad he was next to me as he helped me understand that even with flight mode no cell phones were allowed. Also that they were offering seconds as he got it for me.

Landing in Dalian we were met by Karl and my thoughts on the welcoming committee were outlined before. So that is all for now. 

Impressions on Placement

 I am not sure what i was expecting but it was not this. Arriving in Dalian to start my three week placement, the group and i had high hopes. Those were quickly dashed upon arriving in our apartment. A stop at walmart to buy pillows/blankets/mattress covers showed us the “welcoming” part of welcoming committee was used liberally.

Upon arriving at our apartments our key would not work. It seems you can put it into the lock four different ways but only one way works. And to lock it your turn right but if you actually want to pull it open you go left. This is because it does not have a door handle, and why would it right? The lack of light in the hallway makes it clear that you are not supposed to enjoy walking into your building.

Once in the apartment it seems like a place a slumlord would try to rent to fresh faced university students unaware of what they are getting into. No wifi capabilities, so this blog was written on my laptop before being able to be posted online. There is a fridge, water cooler and microwave....but only one plug for all three. So some vital decisions to be made there. Though I should be happy that we actually have water in ours, some group members are not so lucky.

There are two beds here. One has a mattress that seems like it has been passed down from family generations past. The other does not. I mean it does not have a mattress. It is just a two inch box frame on top of wooden planks. Again how welcoming is that? After traveling and being in a new place all you want is a good nights sleep. Not to have to make your box spring up for a nice cold sleep. Cause there is no heat.

But hey at least we have a shower, that has a water heater that we needed to turn on. Meaning my roommate had one hell of a cold shower. I waited till the last second before showering in hopes of having a half decent shower. Which was not horrible. Though the lack of ventilation and a window in the bathroom makes me wonder about mold. Also lends itself to the bathroom not being the best smelling as everything here is heavy in spice and garlic, so the end result of it is not pleasant.

We do have a TV, with channels 1 and 0. Two channels and the TV looks like it is from 1995, when the school opened. There is a remote but no batteries. Again “welcoming” is a liberal term.

“Does this place even have a fucking garbage can” my roommate yells as I write this. And no, it doesn’t.

There is a kitchen, with some sort of gas grill. But the grill is upside down, filthy, and under the counter. Though perhaps they thought we liked upside down cake and just did not understand the concept. So no chance of cooking, though I can always ask our landlord Dragon, and hope he knows English.

I do need to also say that in this we are guinnea pigs and are suppossed to encounter issues so that future groups can not have the issues.

As I bash the physical sense of this welcoming committee I do have to applaud the human sense of it. We were met at the airport by the principal of the Foreign National School, Karl. That was nice and it was pleasant to have a bus to drive us back to the campus. We were taken out for a nice late dinner upon arrival that had a bunch of food pre set for us when we set up. The principal of the school covered that, though I assume it was charged back to the school.

On the second day we were given a walking tour of the surrounding areas of Jinshitan. (Jinshitan is the name of the ‘suburb’ on the outskirts of the city Dalian where the school is located) We were met at the boys gate (referring to the boys boarding campus gate) by Brandon, Britton, Karl, and Yvonne (all teachers or principals) and taken to Suzan’s pizza for breakfast. This is operated by a Canadian (Stan) and his Chinese wife and is the only place in town to offer authentic breakfast. Some scrambled eggs and pancakes with syrup plus unlimited coffee was a nice treat. Stan had been a teacher for around 40 years before opening up this restaurant. I would not be surprised if I end up there a couple times in the next three weeks. He gave us a bit of a spiel about the area and how it has developed.  During breakfast met Carm, a guy who had been mentioned to us numerous times by Jenna (roommate during Beijing/Xi’an) who had worked with him before. Type of guy that is quick to show you around.

After breakfast headed to a local market called Manjiatan Market. Here I bought a pillow and some laundry detergent (two more things I would have assumed the school would have provided). After dropping our goods off at our apartments (another 5 minutes to figure out the door) we went into Kai Fa Qu (middle spot between Jinshitan and Dalian). Kai Fa Qu is more cosmopolitan and developed. A place you go for food/drinks/shopping. The area has a heavy foreigner presence. Lots of Koreans, Russians (both because of proximity to Korea/Russia), Germans (there is a VW plant near) and Canadians (because of Maple Leaf) so it is a mix of things. This seems to be the place to go for drinks on a Friday night or if you want to find something specific. We walked around an outdoor food market. I had some fried up tofu that was good except the insides had turned soft (think the inside of a marshmallow after the outside had been crisped up). The rest of the group headed back to Jinshitan with Brandon while I wondered off with Carm and Britton. I needed a little break from the group after 8ish days together.

Went and had sushi. By now the whole vegetarian things has been derailed by the fact that most everything is cooked together and I generally have no idea what I am ordering. So dealing with sushi and being in a foreign country put me in an adventurous mood. Had salmon roe (i think that is fish eggs), crab cakes, some deep fried fish and durian rolls (durian is a fruit).  Good meal and surprised myself with liking some of the things. Who knows Jan, I may come back finally liking fish.

Toured around with Britton as he looked for various goods and had a good chat about the benefits of traveling abroad for the rest of the afternoon. When I got back to the apartment the group was nowhere to be seen. I decided to venture off on my own and went back to the market I was at today and grabbed some fruit. I feel I was ripped off but cant complain for about 10 bucks for a ton of grapes oranges and banana’s. I am clearly still thinking in Canadian terms as I feel I could have got it for half.

On the way back grabbed some chips and beer and now just finishing up this blog. Highlight of the day is definitely laundry. Had been a while for this one.

I am writing this on May 10 8pm China time. So I would like to take this time to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all of my mothers.  Happy Mothers Day Jan. Happy Mothers Day Mom. And a very special Happy Mothers Day to the newest mother Kate. Oh and I bought Tdawg a Chinese silk outfit so tell him he has to stop growing so it fits when I get back. 

Riding a Tandem Bike on a Xi'an

So clearly biking has never been my forte. It took years of public shaming to get me to do it. Who know how many countless hours were spent on teaching me a skill I was so quick to cast aside. Arriving in Xi'an yesterday after a 6 hour train ride I had to be up at 4:30am to catch, the group and I were pretty dead. Luckily Xi'an felt the same way as the whole area around the train station was made up of at least 30 building that were deserted. They had been created simply as a public works project. The thick smog and coal burning plants did not add to the allure.

After checking into the hotel here our first stop was to check out the city wall. It is hard to determine what is true and what is propaganda from our tour guide. He said the city wall was the longest and most fully restored historical fortification in the world. I was skeptical, as is my nature.

Saying it was 14km casually as we began to walk around it, seriously we did not want to walk that, we came upon a bike service. For 200 yuan as a deposit and 45 yuan you could rent a bike to go around. Knowing the group would take this decision I asked if anyone wanted to go on the two seater bike. My hope was someone more skilled would join me and I could hide my shameful lack of balance and co-ordination. Alyssa, one of the girls on the trip, decided to join me. As we set out with me in the front she told me she was not the best on bikes and had not ridden one in about 4 years. I cannot remember the last time i was on a bike. so between the two of us we had not ridden a bike in about 10 years.

I know I know, I should have been upfront about it. But here we are, two people biking on this historical fortification in a new city that has less then stellar brickwork to bike on. After some intial struggles with steering we got off well. We were lucky that it was late in the day and starting to rain meaning there was hardly anyone on the wall. The few times we did come upon people, I was quick to yell to get the F out of the way. They obliged, probably a little scared, but not nearly as scared as they should be.

It took us about 45 min-1 hour to get around the city. Between going up and down ramps, being passed by golf carts on steriods, quick turns and dealing with a constant rain we arrived safe and sound, both on a high of not hurting ourselves, anyone else or the bike. We clearly had the most fun of the group on this adventure and I chalk it up as a highlight of the trip.

Have done lots of great things but this stood out as worthy of mentioning.

Also of note-
I am a celebrity because of my height and get stopped at least 3 times a day for photos
I can eat confidently with chop sticks
Saw the Terra-Cotta Warriors, Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, a Kung-Fu Show, took a bullet train.
I am continuing to work on my album of me in large asian tour groups.

Have to run as we are going to a Tang Dynasty Show that features all you can eat dumplings. I am gonna do some damage there.

Tomorrow I take of for Dalian where I will be stationed for 3 weeks so should be able to get a more detailed blog down.

First Impressions

I truly had no idea what to expect of this country. While realizing people had been traveling here for years and the Olympics being hosted recently, I was still skeptical about how easy it would be for me to get around. While I have only seen a small portion of Beijing I can say it is very accessible to travelers. The airport was extrmely easy to navigate and walking around the city has been fairly easy as well. The use of enlgish style numbers really helps with getting food and drinks at the restraunts. But that is all kind of basic info, the real reason for this blog is the good stuff. The stories of my adventures.

The first night I got here, it was a taxi ride into the city to get to my hotel.  Road lines here seem to be more of a suggesstion than a rule. I would say we almost got in an accident about 40 times on the ride in. Luckily nothing happened and arrived safe and sound. Walked around the area and went out for dinner. Chopsticks were an issue. Being so hungry and failing completlty at being able to eat the food was frustrating. I do believe i will master this skill though. Ended up going out for some drinks on the first night and saw the market by our hotel. Wandered into a bar that had live music that was interesting. The band was playing soft rock in chinese but at one point played Hotel California which was cool.

Our first full day had no set itnerary.
Jenna(roommate) and I got up and walked around. Found a place selling fried dough so had that. Checked out a fruit market and got some healthy stuff for the day. Figured it offset the fried dough. Then went and she got starbucks, turns out it is everywhere. I opted for a strawberry smoothing from a chain here called "Its'Time". We wandered around the streets looking at all the different vendors. Found where my hostel is for when I come back to Beigjing which was nice. As we were walking back to the hotel I noticed a Spurs-Clippers game on at a bar. Ended up watching a cringe worthy lost while having fries and a beer listening to country. Gotta love Wiggly Jigglys
Went and met up with group after.
We walked to a famous market, whose name escapes me. I played Time Crisis at the arcade, bought a silk traditional shirt with a gold dragon on it, had some dumplings, got asked for a photograph because of my height, saw people eat live scorpions, got yelled at for haggling too much, bought a hat. That was about 2 hours of the day. Each and every experience so far has been amazing. I am loving the culture and how people interact. Very friendly and I feel very safe and welcome here. I will take this moment to say I am writing this quickly and will not be doing much spell check or editting, so apologies for that. Dad you can relax now. Time is money here.

After the market went and checked out a Buddhist temple called "Lama Temple" which had an assortment of pagoda style building with various stautes of Buddha, each having a separate purpose. There was one giant Buddha (think 6 stories hight and 3 meters around) that was supposedly from one piece of wood. I doubt it but my group said it was in the guiness book of world records so need to check on that.

After the Lama temple went and saw a temple for Confucius. I really enjoyed this one and the different lessons of Confucius. I am going to have to get some books on him for the summer reading.

The group was very tired by the end of the day as we walked back to the hotel. Spent an hour resting up and showering (declogged shower) before going out for dinner. I was able to push the group to eating at an Indian restaurant (I know, second night in China and I go for Indian). Amazing food and really cheap for it.

Couple drinks then bed. Remember "Dont eat yellow snow, especially while standing up in a canoe"

Today was another full day. Met tour guide (Rocky) at 8 and took a bus to Mind Dynasty Tombs. An underground tomb that was really interesting. Walked through a gate that took my soul, Rocky insisted when I left I went through the same one to get it back.

Took the bus to the great wall of china. Had lunch at restaurant underneath the wall. Best Chinese food of my life. Starting to get better at chopsiticks. Walked up to a cable car lift that took us up to the wall. You can see photos and here stories but being there put it all in perspective. I have been lucky to see many great things in my life, whether the Eiffel Tower, Pompei, Roman Collaseum, Taj Mahal, Empire State Building, and the experience I had today trumped them all. It may have helped that it was a beautiful day with clear blue skies (which happen about once a month here) but I was just so energized by the experience. Got a ton of great photos and just loved the whole thing. Seeing how far it extends and realizing it is built on top of a mountain just highlights it for me. Walked a good distance on it and climbed up about 8000 steps/stairs to get to a high point. Had to take a couple rests and by the time i got to the top i simply collapsed. I am pretty sure some other tourist took photos of me in my pathetic state. Bought a beautiful wall hanging that will be with me for a long time. The walk down saw me doing some bum shuffles to make sure my wobbly legs did not fall.

Oh, and I continued working on my album of me standing in large tour groups. I find it funny because I am so much taller than them. Trust me, there are some good photos here.

After the great wall, and I could go on for much longer but again time is money here, we went for a tea ceremony. Was sponsored by the state so was free. Really enjoyed learning about the tea and got a pee boy to let me know if the tea is hot enough. Dad- I think you will enjoy this guy.

So overall an amazing first couple days. I have loved everything so far and am thrilled I will have ten months to really get to know the culture. I look forward to the rest of my time. I would say it has been one of the most enjoyable travel experiences of my life.


Thats all for now. Got to run for dinner. Check back in a couple days.