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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Vacation

Two weeks ago I was more than happy to leave this cold, windy city and venture out into China. The part of China where the sun shines, and the rain leaves you wanting more. This was the dream fixed in the mind of my group and I. Going on vacation was a time for relaxation, warmth, and sitting in happiness.

What actually happened on vacation began as a disappointment, but ended still as week of wonderful exhaustion. As English-speaking people it was very hard to communicate our wishes so we went with the travel agency to get cheaper prices and to avoid getting lost. Going with the agency also meant that we had to follow their plan, the predetermined trip outline. Our foreign coordinator, Kelly, helped save our spots with the agency and tried to explain what places we'd be visiting on our way to Guilin. We booked a tour with a bunch of old people to try to slow down our trip since the trip to Beijing was rush after rush after rush. It turns out that old people go much faster than we thought.

Here is a list of what I places I went to, and what I did:
1. A two day train ride
2. A museum about an ancient Chinese tomb
3. Chairman Mao's hometown and home
4. Arrived at ZhengJiaJie. The Mtns where Avatar was filmed!
5. Walked down a giant staircase to the bottom of the mountain
6. Got a foot massage
7. Walked in ZhengJiaJie
8. Saw the wild monkeys at ZhengJiaJie
9. Went to the crystal store
10. Rode the train again, for one night
11. Elephant Park
12. Waterfall Park
13. Tea Tasting shop and interesting snacks
14. Fountain and hole-in-the-rock park
15. Yangshuo- Li River boat ride
16. Mud caving
17. Riding electric scooters around the countryside
18. Shopping in Yangshuo
19. Watched a traditional Chinese dance show
20. Cock fighting
21. Sang songs with the old people
22. A two day train ride back home

Ten days worth of things to do and places to see. It was a sensational experience, one that I would definitely do again given the chance. In the next post I'll give more details on a few of these, and have my pictures to try to explain the magnificence.

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like an amazing adventure!! i'm waiting eagerly for pictures!

    ReplyDelete