jINhua: Back from Beijing

I am back from Beijing. I also just finished making my final exam! Beijing was pretty cool.
I went to Hangzhou with a couple people the night before I flew out. We went out and and were talking to another foreigner at the bar and he asked where we lived in China and when we told him Jinhua he said "no way, that's where that girl just had the baby into the squat toilet!" We're famous apparently.
The next day I made my way to the airport. When I got there I was notified my flight had been cancelled; so that was exciting. I then waited in line for a new flight while a crazy Chinese man yelled at the poor ladies who were working, like they were supposed to fly the plane and then just decided against it. I was given a new flight and went to check-in and was told it was full, so back to line I went. Crazy guy was still there and now he was throwing stuff. While I waited security was called. Security in China is funny though because they can't really do anything, this crazy man was way bigger than they were lol. Finally the convinced him to walk away with them though. Then I was given a new flight and it was not full, but it was super delayed. I ended up flying out after 8 instead of before noon. Either way, I made it to Beijing lol!

The first night I did do anything because I didn't get tot he hostel until nearly 11. But I did book a tour to the great wall for the next day. It was really cloudy and foggy and raining but it was still really cool! It was funny because as we were coming down one of the steep sections these guys were going up and they were playing eye of the tiger from their ipod; I nearly died laughing. Also, they had a subway at the great wall, not like the train kind, the sandwich kind; I don't know why but that made me laugh really hard!

That night I met up with my friend Ana's (from Jinhua) friend who lives in Beijing. I went with him and his friends to dinner and then out. There are so many foreigners in that part of Beijing! I honestly think I saw more foreign people than Chinese people, but apparently Bejing is only like that in the particular area I was in. Beijing is not really like Shanghai. It has western restaurants and things but it's still a lot more "Chinese" than Shanghai. In the sense that it's kind of dirty, and there isn't as much English around. And it's not nearly as well organized and it's really spread out; luckily it has a good subway system!

The next day I went to the Forbidden City, it was neat but it was pouring rain that day so I didn't really get to enjoy it as much as I would have had it been nice out and I wasn't rushing to get out of the rain. When I got back to the hostel that day there was a Canadian guy staying in our room. So him, me and a few other people from our dorm room went for Peking duck that night; it's famous in Beijing. I didn't realize really that I had already eaten it before at a dinner in Jinhua, but I guess it's extra special in Beijing or something.

The next day I went to the Olympic Park; that was really cool! There were a lot of people around but it still didn't feel very crowded. I also went to the Silk Market after. That place has so much stuff! I bought a tea set and a couple other things for myself. They are so much more willing to barter with you than people in Shanghai were. They would give you the most obscenely high prices at first. I was looking at a scarf and she was like 350RMB. I was like you're nuts and eventually I bought 2 for 55 RMB. It's just awkward though. Having to haggle and argue with each other; it makes me so uncomfortable! But that day was probably the best I've ever been at it!

After the Silk Market I met up with the Canadian guy and his friends again and a bunch of us from a hostel went out for dinner. It was so weird to be around so many people who speak English. And just like in Thailand even people who are from other countries speak there language AND english; it makes me wish I was good at learning languages.

Yesterday I came back to Jinhua. Again my flight was delayed! This time there were a couple of Americans on the same flight as me so I at least had someone to talk to! When I got into Hangzhou I had to go to the train station. I had had one of my students send me an email with the Chinese characters saying "I need a ticket to Jinhua for as soon as possible." It worked like a charm. I got there at 10:15 and she gave me a ticket for a train that left at 10:23, I was so close to missing it! It was also the fastest slow train I've ever been on. The trains like this one are supposed to take 3 hours and it took less than 2, that was exciting. There were a couple other people who spoke English on the train and one Chinese guy overheard me say I was going to Jinhua. His English wasn't super good but he was like yeah me too. I was glad he told me because on these trains they don't really announce where you are so I knew I could just follow him. He told me to get up when we stopped and then went the whole way with me out to the cabs. It was my friend Erin's bday part last night so I had to go right to there and when I told him that's where I was going he told me it was near where he lived so we shared a cab and he told the driver where I needed to go and then when I tried to pay as I got out he wouldn't let me; that kind of made up for the lack of luck I'd been having with my flights lol!

Now today I have just been trying to get organized and get ready for the end of school. I teach Thursday and Friday and then my exam is on Sunday! Then all I need to do is mark it and go to the graduation on the 22nd. Then on the 30th I'll be home! So excited!

Ana and Erin at ladies night in Hangzhou

The chair lift to get up the mountain to the great wall

On the wall!

Inside one of the towers at the wall

This is Liz, she lives in Beijing. They had these balloons EVERYWHERE and were giving them away that night

There is a Red House everywhere I go!

A park by the forbidden city

Inside the forbidden city. The white pathway in the middle used to be only for the Emperor, so I think they all felt pretty special walking on it. At some points there was a traffic jam on this path and wide open space all around...I opted for the wide open space most of the time lol.

Some wild-life

I thought this was funny, because there was nothing around to climb!

Peking duck! Nom nom nom. We were with one Chinese guy from the hostel and he was almost not going to eat it because he is still afraid of the bird flu.