China has come and gone; it was a quick trip but very enjoyable. We started things off a little rocky with a 2 hour delay, but once we got to Beijing it was fantastic. Our tour guide met us at the airport and from there we started with sight seeing right away. First on the list was Tiananmen Square. This is the largest city square in the world, and hosts many Chinese historic events. Across the street we went to the Forbidden City which was the house for the Emperor in the Ming Dynasty. No members from the public were allowed access to this huge area until 1925. Only the Emperor, and Empress had access to the 980 buildings and 8707 rooms. Now the "Forbidden City" is called the Palace Museum since it is no longer forbidden to the public. By the time dinner came were exhausted, but we enjoyed a few Chinese style dishes before going to the acrobat show. I will say it was a bit dissppointing. China produces some of the best gymnast in the world, but this show did not show their potential level of talent.
The next day we did the Jade market, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall. The Great Wall was defiantly the highlight of my trip. It was extremely cold and windy, but its was amazing. The section which we climbed was very steep, but from the top you were able to see a large section of the wall to really appreciate the size of it. Following the Great Wall we went to the Summer Palace, which was built as a summer resort for the Empress. It is completely man made, but it really is beautiful. Since it was winter, it was hard to get the true sense of beauty, but in summer or spring with trees and flowers I imagine it would be gorgeous . We also went to a pearl market, where they let us see how to extract pearls and taught us how to tell if they are real. Last on the agenda was a tea ceremony. Tea for me is a stereotypical "China" thing, but to see how different tea should be prepared was interesting. They also believe that different tea is good for different functions, so they to try them and learn about it was interesting.
The last day of our tour we did the Temple of Heaven, silk market, and a Chinese duck meal. The Temple of Heaven is now a big city park which is open to the public and there were hundreds of people there exercising, but it is still very peaceful. The silk market was also very interesting to see the steps in making silk.
Our final day in China we spent shopping. We went to a big market which had everything. pearls, silk, makeup, electronics, souvenirs, shoes, and purses. If you are good at bargaining you and practically buy things for nothing here. Most of the vendors sell the same products so if you name a price, its hard for them to say no.
After hearing some negative things about China and Beijing, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was probably my favorite Asian destination to date, I didn't find it to be dirty, or crowded with people. The tour which we did was also perfect. We were the only two on the tour, so we had a guide and a driver and they really catered to our interests. They would pick us up, drop us off, and let us do our thing which was exactly what I wanted. I would defiantly recommend a tour package for people wanting to see the most of Beijing in the least amount of time. We were able to see everything we wanted and more in 4 days, and it didn't feel rushed at all. As for going in winter, it probably wasn't the best time of year. In the fall or spring I feel would be ideal. One bonus about going during winter months, there weren't as many people around at the sights.
This week was the first snowfall, it made things feel more like Christmas. Snow never lasts very long around here, but it was nice to wake up and see big white flakes falling. The kids are much more excited about snow, then Christmas. A lot of my kids said they are "too old for Christmas." None of my kids believe in Santa, which I find very sad. I had a 6 year old kid tell me that the thought of a fat man coming down a chimney was crazy. Makes the holiday season much less exciting around here. There are a few stores and office buildings decorated for Christmas, but no houses have lights. It is not recognized as a major holiday like back home.
December in Korea has brought lots of goodbyes. They are starting to slow down now, but its sad to see people who you have spend the past year with go home. It has also brought changes to Moon Kkang. At my school we have a new Korean teacher, new manager, and soon will have a new foreign teacher. Starting in January there will be changes to the curriculum as well. As much as I am in a routine now, changes make the time go by quickly. I will be saying my farewell in less than 100 days now. Scary how fast the time has gone.
