Tuesday
On Tuesday, we went to the Tang Paradise in Xi’an. It is a big park that has performances from the Chinese culture. While we were there, we saw a dog dance performance that had two people dressed up in a dog costume that jumped from poles to poles. They were very good. Another show that we saw had a group of people on stilts doing dance moves. The third show was a drum show and was very loud. After the shows and some walking in the park we headed to a restaurant and had Beijing duck. It was very good. When we left the restaurant the fountain by the Wild Goose Pagoda had a performance going so we watched it.
Wednesday
Today, I headed to the Wild Goose Pagoda and Brad meet up with me after school. The pagoda is seven stories high and a tough stair climb inside. When Brad met up with me we walked around for awhile and then went back to his place to get ready for English corner. English corner was on a college campus and was a group of Chinese students learning English. During this session Brad and his group decided to sing Christmas songs. It was funny to watch the student sing and do some hand gestures to the 12 Days of Christmas.
Thursday
After school, Brad and I headed downtown to do a little shopping. We also stopped by a Pizza Hut for some dinner. It was a pretty uneventful night.
Friday
I made one more visit to Brad’s very energetic classroom. The students were sad to see me leaving. After school, Brad made up some lesson plans and I headed to his apartment to pack. Went Brad came back we went to his favorite restaurant next to his place. The Chinese restaurant had good food and knew Brad and Cari very well. Went we finished the food it was time to finish packing and head to the train station for an all night trip to Beijing.
Saturday
After a 10 hour train ride in a sleeper car, with three beds on each side, we made it to Beijing. A taxi ride later we made it to the hotel that Brad and everyone else stayed at during the Olympics. It was a cool spot kind of back in an ally. The day had just begun and we started by heading to the Tiananmen Square where we went to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is where emperors use to live and have their day to day life. After the Forbidden City, we crossed the street to Tiananmen Square where we met a lady that was practicing her English and gave us a tour of the square and the area. The lady took us to a tea shop for some drinks, I think the drink cost us our tour fees. After we left that lady, we headed to the temple of Heaven where the emperors sacrificed cows to the gods. After this long day we wanted some food and bed. Brad heard of a Mexican place in Beijing so we went to find it. The Tex Mex restaurant was just like being in Texas and had great Mexican food.
Sunday
Another long day in Beijing that started at the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was huge area and it was beautiful. I took a lot of pictures here and we even walked on water! Or the lake there that was frozen over. After a few hours at the palace we took the subway to the Olympic Pavilion. The Olympic area is still pretty much a tourist area. We walked around and decided to go into the birds nest. They were playing the opening ceremonies on the big screens. Another subway trip put us in a Hutton area, or ally courtyard, where we got dinner. On the ride back home we found a place to get back massages. It was a great way to finish a long day.
Monday
In the morning we met up with a lady for a Gray line tour. The tour included the Ming Tombs, A Jade factory and a visit to the Great Wall. The tour was a lot of fun but of course the Great Wall was amazing. We climbed about a quarter mile up the wall and then back down. It was tons of fun and you bet I took a ton of pictures. After the tour we got dropped off at the Buddhist temple. Lots of people were praying and lighting incense. After the temple we went for our last dinner at a hot pot restaurant. The restaurant gives you a pot of bowling water and you cook your own food in it.
Tuesday
Tuesday was another early morning, but this time we were heading to the airport. Brad was heading back to Xi’an and I was heading home to the states. I had a lot of fun in China and for those of you that are thinking about visiting Brad, be ready for a different culture and be ready to try some new things. Brad thanks for the fun time and I will talk to you soon.
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| From T.J. in China 2 |
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