After a little while of being on the non-banned Facebook (Hong Kong is so different from the communist mainland, it's so strange), we finally hopped on the plane. Julie and I asked people if we could switch so we could sit together (both tour groups were on the same plane), so we did that and before taking off we finalized our Japan plans. I think it's just going to be us two travelling together, and I really like our game plan. Here it is:
Day I—Explore Kobe. Steph goes to Kyoto spend the night, Julie stays in Kobe.
Day II—Julie and Steph meet at Kyoto Dry Zen Gardens and later explore Kyoto. Spend night in Kyoto.
Day III—Travel to Osaka. Stay in Buddhist monastery Katelyn recommended for the night.
Day IV—Travel to Tokyo. Harujuku district, karaoke, anime, and whatever else. Meet up with Lorelei that night.
Day V—Finish up in Tokyo. End in Yokohama.
GLORIOUS. We really want to see the Miazaki Museum so hopefully that's en route, as well as a cat café in Tokyo. :B We'll see.
Anyway, so the plane ride was long and uneventful. It's three hours from Hong Kong to Beijing, so Julie and I just talked about psychology and sociology (as we were studying these while flying) and I wrote a good two pages of my paper, which needs to be 5 pages, so I'm feeling good. After three hours, we finally touched down in Beijing as the sun was beginning to set and the sky was glowing orange.
The airport was HUGE. We walked through 2 thermo-detectors (as if you're sick they don't let you into the country) and we were just saying something like "Man, I thought Beijing was supposed to be crowded" when BOOM. We rounded a corner and there were thousands of people filling up this massive spot in front of Immigration Control in lines. Good. Lord. Lauren, Julie, and I got into a line, but as soon as a security guard waved some people to the "Chinese Nationals" line instead of the "Foreigners," we basically bullrushed the line. It still took a while to get to the desk though. No one thinks that I am the same woman as in my passport. They always look at it skeptically and go, "IS THIS YOU?" But eh.
So we were like the first people through. We hopped on another inter-airport train and were off to the exit, which was a long way away surprisingly. The Beijing airport must be absolutely huge. But we finally got there and found our guide, and I talked to my professor for a while, as well as her daughter. We both really liked our time in Cambodia and were also talking about white privilege and Chapman and California. It was awesome.
By six we had everyone and were able to pile into our buses. I said goodbye to Julie and was off. Once again I had my own seat, so I didn't mind much. :B We got onto the freeway, which was packed with people, but I didn't mind—I just loved looking around at all the scenery, which was mostly big buildings with Chinese lettering in red. Beijing is not as compact and tall as Hong Kong, but is smaller and more spread out—not every building is a skyscraper. :P But I still felt this intense love for the city already, and was just… in a constant state of disbelief. I am in China. I mean, wow.
We got to this district near a pool of water, surrounded by red Chinese lanterns. All around us were bars lit up with neon lights, some blasting music, some with live bands in them! It was the coolest little street I've ever seen, so alive! Yet there weren't too many folks around, as it was still so early. But then it was time for our little "drive" to a local family where we would be eating our meals—by trishaw! A trishaw is a two-person cart that's pulled by a man in a bicycle, and it was EPIC! We were freezing because the weather was so chilly, but he put a big blanket over me and Rebekah, and we were off. It was the coolest thing ever. I was getting really emotional, just looking around and being like, I'm in Beijing, I'm really here.
Finally we stopped behind those bars to quieter, more residential areas. We had split into three groups and we were eating at a little house where a woman welcomed us. The room had plastic tile floors and beautiful paintings on the wall. There were two tables, one of which I sat down at. She also had a yellow beagle that had a face just like Rover's—getting a little white, but still puppylike. :) The food she brought out was OUTSTANDING. There were chicken carrot, eggplant, tomato and egg, pepper and beef, mixed chopped vegetables, and white rice dishes. They were all delicious but devoured ours quickly. We actually got pretty grumpy at the other table because they left all their plates mostly full but wouldn't give them to us. Then the lady showed some of her husband's artwork to us. He won the 2007 National Painting award (or something like that) for this beautiful abstract picture of flowers. I wish that I had had the money on hand for it, because I knew my parents would love it. But I did buy a painting of this incredible autumn scene with birch trees and white cranes, and it was only a little over 30 dollars—totally worth it for the incredible twist of art styles and beauty of the piece.
Then we were saying goodbye and out the door again. Our trishaw guy got competitive on the way back and would cycle hard and fast to pass other people. He also was a dangerous driver—at one point the side of our cart hit the wall, and another time it ran into another cart! But none of us were hurt and we were just cackling madly the whole time. It was so great.
Then we had a nice half hour bus ride back to the hotel—a Holiday Inn, lol. However, this is the most ritzy Holiday Inn ever. I'm rooming with a sophomore named Amy who seems very nice. It's a small room with a "great view" (said Amy… when I opened the curtains, I saw a big air conditioning pipe in my face and a rooftop!) but it's so much bigger than the cabins on the ship that I absolutely love the size—both the beds are even against walls! :P Feels just like the ship, only without the rocking. I forgot my doxy pill this morning, so Amy kindly gave me a granola bar because doxy just destroys my stomach. I hate these dumb pills, but I'm sure I'd hate malaria even more.
Lots of folks are going out to a karaoke bar across the way, but I'm staying in tonight. That'll be for tomorrow night, when I have money from an ATM and don't want to rest. For now, I need to sleep, write, and dream of the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square.
…Just kidding.
As I wrote the above, which was truly my intention, my roommate came back in and told me that she was going to a little mini-mart around the corner with a couple other folks. As a visit to the ATM was in order, I agreed! We walked around the block and walked into a tiny, sketchy shop with street food roasting outside. Inside were all sorts of snacks—there were white rabbit candies from elementary school! I bought them but they were stale. :( But still, pretty exciting to get them here. I also found one dollar HELLO KITTY bright green kid's mittens. They are awesome and no one can tell me otherwise. A bowl of spicy ramen is also mine for when I get hungry. All this stuff was less than four bucks, so I'm happy. There was a creepy guy kind of creepin' though, so it was kind of weird. He was kind of put off from hitting on my companions by the looming shaved head woman, though. I'm such a fan of this haircut! <3
If you get me somethin Totoroish, I'll be forever pleased with this trip.
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