We started the day having a wakeup call at 7:30am. Although a few of our friends (Ross and Robert) mysteriously didn’t get that call until 15 minutes after we were supposed to leave at 10:00am. Most of us were able to walk around the city of Jinan taking in the view and exploring through multiple stores. Underground shopping was also not that bad considering that this might have been the first time several of us have seen real brands of clothing instead of the really obvious fake ones. Jaclyn was afraid of bargaining with one of the store clerks for a shirt that she wanted because she thought that the shirt was real and wasn’t really sure if she could actually bargain for it. So she asked Ryan for some help and were able to get the shirt from 130 yuan to 100 yuan. I guess it was a good price considering that anything lower than that, the clerk would straight out wave his hand and say “no”. The annoying part of the store was that even though they made us wait ten minutes to get into the store, most of the stores weren’t even open. It was very stressful for those who had actually found something they liked but couldn’t get into the small shops to buy it. Although few purchases were made, most of us were psyched to go shopping in Beijing.
So we were able to get to the train station in time to have around 45-60 minutes to rest. Our tour guide, Lisa, surprised most of us with KFC. Although the sandwiches ended up being a fish mix fillet with a secret sauce, some people were able to enjoy the non-Asian cuisine. So we entered train at around 12:00pm. Most of us trying to catch some sleep before a supposedly long day were able to do so. The bullet train which I forgot to mention was a very different experience to the other trains which seemed to take forever. This ride was very smooth and the Chinese countryside was amazing. Although there were many smoke stacks and random building complexes, the scenery was quite amazing. I can’t explain how interesting it is to watch every row of trees, plants, soil, dirt, and even sometimes weeds pass by. It seems as if they decided to take down every tree in China and replant them in specific sets of rows. In a way, it was sort of creepy. So we carried on with games and chatting with friends on the three hour ride to Beijing. Most people listening to music and reading books really gave me a great opportunity to relax and do whatever. The fastest recorded speed of the train I saw was about 196 km/hr. Apparently we were riding the second fastest train in China. Who knows, it was an interesting experience overall.
So we ended up at the train station in Beijing. To most, the air was not the most pleasant thing although I believe that I have gotten quite used to it. So we walked past the gate where I first saw our new tour guide. I was quite worried because the last few tour guides didn’t exactly have the greatest English. I didn’t talk to him, but just followed him to the bus, which was the most amazing thing ever. For the past few weeks, we have been riding broken down, air-conditionless, dirty tour buses. And I saw the bus, and it was like “wow”. The bus had two doors, one in the front, and one on the side. Amazed to see a clean bus, I was amazed to see that it was also a large bus. We had enough room to sit back and relax. So the bus started moving as we were headed for our hotel. So our tour guide had spoken to several of my friends and they had told me that he was able to speak fairly well English. So he started talking, and immediately I loved Beijing. Not only was it a beautiful city and basically clean city, our tour guide could speak English. He explained to us several things such as basic information about Beijing, and who he was. His name was Michael, and he loved watching the NBA, Kobe being his favorite player, and that his favorite sport was soccer. He was a very funny guy and I knew at that point we would have an amazing four days in this city.
So we left our bus, and were standing in front of this enormous hotel. Michael had told us this was a 5 star hotel. I walked in and the view was jaw dropping. I was amazed by the beauty of this hotel. There was a giant painting of two horsemen right in front of the entrance, as well as comfy couches and a huge lobby. It was a very clean facility and it was pure heaven. We went up to our rooms to find a huge room, with a TV which was actually easy to use compared to the ones in the other hotels which took around three buttons to turn on. The beds were firm and large, and I think I could layback for a 12 hour nap. We had a little free time before we would head off for dinner.
For dinner, we went to a very nice restaurant. We had fries and different varieties of foods. Many interesting conversations spilled on the table as well as a very liquefied ketchup sauce. It seemed as though when we entered, they expected us to use forks and knives, which was the first time that really happened. And after being here in China for about two weeks now, most of us decided to ask for chopsticks which seem a lot more convenient now that we got used to them. In fact, I have a few issues in using forks now, that I decided to use chopsticks when I get back to the US.
So, for the remainder of the time, we were given free time. This is where we are allowed to go out into the beautiful city to go shopping and sightseeing and what not. Our groups disperse into the wild and amazing and very safe, as Michael had told us, city of Beijing.
Your CA China Reporters on Location,
Dorian and Izaak
So we were able to get to the train station in time to have around 45-60 minutes to rest. Our tour guide, Lisa, surprised most of us with KFC. Although the sandwiches ended up being a fish mix fillet with a secret sauce, some people were able to enjoy the non-Asian cuisine. So we entered train at around 12:00pm. Most of us trying to catch some sleep before a supposedly long day were able to do so. The bullet train which I forgot to mention was a very different experience to the other trains which seemed to take forever. This ride was very smooth and the Chinese countryside was amazing. Although there were many smoke stacks and random building complexes, the scenery was quite amazing. I can’t explain how interesting it is to watch every row of trees, plants, soil, dirt, and even sometimes weeds pass by. It seems as if they decided to take down every tree in China and replant them in specific sets of rows. In a way, it was sort of creepy. So we carried on with games and chatting with friends on the three hour ride to Beijing. Most people listening to music and reading books really gave me a great opportunity to relax and do whatever. The fastest recorded speed of the train I saw was about 196 km/hr. Apparently we were riding the second fastest train in China. Who knows, it was an interesting experience overall.
So we ended up at the train station in Beijing. To most, the air was not the most pleasant thing although I believe that I have gotten quite used to it. So we walked past the gate where I first saw our new tour guide. I was quite worried because the last few tour guides didn’t exactly have the greatest English. I didn’t talk to him, but just followed him to the bus, which was the most amazing thing ever. For the past few weeks, we have been riding broken down, air-conditionless, dirty tour buses. And I saw the bus, and it was like “wow”. The bus had two doors, one in the front, and one on the side. Amazed to see a clean bus, I was amazed to see that it was also a large bus. We had enough room to sit back and relax. So the bus started moving as we were headed for our hotel. So our tour guide had spoken to several of my friends and they had told me that he was able to speak fairly well English. So he started talking, and immediately I loved Beijing. Not only was it a beautiful city and basically clean city, our tour guide could speak English. He explained to us several things such as basic information about Beijing, and who he was. His name was Michael, and he loved watching the NBA, Kobe being his favorite player, and that his favorite sport was soccer. He was a very funny guy and I knew at that point we would have an amazing four days in this city.
So we left our bus, and were standing in front of this enormous hotel. Michael had told us this was a 5 star hotel. I walked in and the view was jaw dropping. I was amazed by the beauty of this hotel. There was a giant painting of two horsemen right in front of the entrance, as well as comfy couches and a huge lobby. It was a very clean facility and it was pure heaven. We went up to our rooms to find a huge room, with a TV which was actually easy to use compared to the ones in the other hotels which took around three buttons to turn on. The beds were firm and large, and I think I could layback for a 12 hour nap. We had a little free time before we would head off for dinner.
For dinner, we went to a very nice restaurant. We had fries and different varieties of foods. Many interesting conversations spilled on the table as well as a very liquefied ketchup sauce. It seemed as though when we entered, they expected us to use forks and knives, which was the first time that really happened. And after being here in China for about two weeks now, most of us decided to ask for chopsticks which seem a lot more convenient now that we got used to them. In fact, I have a few issues in using forks now, that I decided to use chopsticks when I get back to the US.
So, for the remainder of the time, we were given free time. This is where we are allowed to go out into the beautiful city to go shopping and sightseeing and what not. Our groups disperse into the wild and amazing and very safe, as Michael had told us, city of Beijing.
Your CA China Reporters on Location,
Dorian and Izaak
