Yesterday night whilst I was doing my homework/watching House/studying Chinese/watching Gossip Girl I heard a strange loud noise outside. No, it was not the ubiquitous drone of construction, turns out it was just some really really crazy wind. Thankfully that dafeng blew all the gross pollution away that had been plaguing our air all week. So I woke up and was overjoyed to see blue sky and mountains! But then not so much when I discovered that it is now about 50 degrees outside, plus still windy.
It's crazy to think that just this Sunday I was chilling outside in my bathing suit at the hotsprings. And the day before that, I was rowing a boat in a tank top across the man-made lake at the Summer Palace. Now I'm breaking out my boots and coat and wondering if I'll need to buy another down coat while I'm here. We leave for Nanjing Saturday night and it should be a bit warmer there, but as our two-week trip for history class progresses, we're going to move farther north and it'll be pretty darn cold by the end of it. Oh, then also we're thinking about going to Harbin for our second long weekend in November, and that'll be the coldest of all. Think ice sculptures and... practically Russia.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. First I would like to complain that planning trips in China is HARD. Like, it should be easy and relatively cheap, but I've mostly given up because the resources just aren't there. You'd think if I can plan a 10 day 3 city multiple one-way plane ticket trip in Europe (including booking hostels and researching things to do in those cities) I could figure out some decent plans for travel, and follow through. But no. The planning is there, the execution is excruciating. So that's why last weekend we had four days and yet pretty much everyone on our program ended up staying in Beijing (except the boys who went to Qingdao to drink beer). Which was fine, but for the next weekend we all really want to go somewhere cool (China, actually, has many of these places) and I really really hope it works out.
So while we were here in Beijing we made the best of it and took a river cruise up the canal to the Summer Palace. We were slightly disappointed because 1) we had to change boats 3 times in like one hour 2) the boat didn't actually take us into the Summer Palace lake, like we imagined, but dropped us off right at the South Gate. Took away some of our dreams. And as it was our second time going there, it was cool but not thrilling. I'm glad Cheng made us rent a rowboat though, because that made the experience worth it and was quite fun.
I had wanted to go to the hot springs before we got here, but wasn't sure how I was going to make that happen. Luckily my friend Rosa really wanted to go too, and together we figured out how to get there and made it happen. Rosa, Vanessa, Cheng, and Cheng's friend from Qinghua Laura went out to the crazy outskirts of Beijing. We took the 5 Subway line all the way to the end, got off, then searched for a taxi for awhile (all that we could see were black cabs and we weren't chancing our luck). The taxi was 27 kuai and about 15-20 minutes farther north to the resort. When we got there we were told there were indoor and outdoor hot springs, and that the indoor ones had more things to do.
Problem was, the indoor hotsprings was basically just an indoor water amusement park, complete with a rapid river with intertubes, slides, and fountains. Not exactly what we were looking for. So we went outside to check out the outdoor ones and found them much more to our liking (and cheaper!). Of course the water in most of the pools (there were several small ones with different water types: salt, Chinese medicine, rose, tea etc) was waaaay too hot. 40-42 celcius! I couldn't even stick my foot in! But some were actually really nice and it was good just to get in the hot water and relax. Then we discovered our entrance ticket included a massage and that made things all the better!
Unfortunately Monday had to come and this week has been really busy in terms of work. We just finished out Chinese midterm and now, since we're going on this trip for history, we won't have Chinese class for two weeks! Crazy. But it sounds like we're going to be very busy with history stuff. Oh! And I am most excited that while we're in Nanjing we're going to take a day to visit Suzhou. My tutor went to school there and she told me it's really cool. We're also taking a day to visit Zhengjiang (I think is the name) and then moving on to Xi'an and Yan'an. I'm definitely looking forward to it but I don't know how good the Internet access will be while I'm there. I'll try to update whenever possible. In the meantime, have fun celebrating Halloween and the election results... I'll be on a train somewhere in the Chinese countryside.
Showing posts with label Summer Palace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Palace. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Weekend Update
The thing about me and blogs is that once I get behind on updates, I find it really annoying to have to go back and recap everything that I've done. Alas, I don't want to leave you loyal readers in the dark (esp since I'm too lazy to add more pics to FB at this time) so here's a brief recap for you. (Actually, what this really means is that I have hw I should be doing and therefore find now to be a perfect time for some blogging).
So Cheng got back to Beijing last Thursday, hurray! I still haven't been to his campus though, because he came here for the weekend. On Friday after class we met up at a shopping center... and when I say "met up" think lots of phone calls like "Um our bus just got hit by a car, we'll be there soon" and "You're standing on a bridge that says Beijing Welcomes You? Wow, that's helpful" and "Zhongguancun gouwu zhongxin! It says that in big red characters at the top!" and "I don't see a big screen TV... keep walking" etc etc. Needless to say, it is not easy to meet up in Beijing (especially when a certain someone can't really read Chinese signs... coughcough).
Anyway later that night some friends had met this music guy and we all went out to Wudaokou to catch a live music show. At first we were told the music was going to be heavy metal, but then no, it was supposed to be indie rock, and when we got there it was somewhere in between the two. Luckily the band (don't remember the name, but they were from Norway... think long blonde hair and everything) was basically done by the time we arrived. Afterwards we chilled at the bar, Cheng and I played some foosball and a Chinese drinking game with a German guy and a Chinese saxophone player. Good times, good conversation.
The next day I definitely didn't get motivated till two, and then the plan was to meet up with Cheng at the Summer Palace. Again, the whole "meet up" definitely backfired when our bus took us to the North Gate and he was stuck down at the East Gate (with no money because he forgot his wallet. Nice.). So Pre (from my program) and I rushed through the beautiful palace on the hill and went to the gate to rescue Cheng, and then the three of us chilled by the lake and decided we had to come back on a day that wasn't so smoggy and when we had enough time to rent a boat.
The next morning we got up early and went on a "hutong tour" provided by our school. See, the flier told us we'd be guided by an expert into the hutong neighborhoods to chat with the people who lived there. Only, we got on the bus and were first dropped off at the Lu Xun museum. Well, this is cool, I thought, I mean I wanted to come here anyway. We had an impromptu lesson from our tour guide about Beijing's development and cities in China in general. What did this have to do with the writer Lu Xun? I'm still not sure. Then we wandered around the museum and saw Lu Xun's old home (which was a hutong, so I guess we were sort of on the right track).
We got on the bus again and this time it dropped us off at a Buddhist temple. Ummm ok this is definitely not relating to hutongs, but still interesting, I thought. Maybe there are hutongs located near this temple and we will be seeing them soon. But no, we were led into the temple for another impromptu lesson, this time with a monk. He seemed to be deeply respected and wanted us to ask him a lot of questions, but didn't seem so inclined to directly answer them. For example, as he was talking to us about his recent visit to Taiwan, he was fiddling with a very nice looking cell phone. And at one point our guide was translating and the monk actually took a phone call while he was sitting there. Um, what?
So I ask, trying not to pointedly stare at his phone, How do you balance the strict rule and regulations [of religion and monastary life] with modern technology and advances? Seems like a fair question, right? Worthy of an in-depth response... but no. He said, Well I make sure I find myself a good teacher. When I have a good teacher to guide me, I'm ok. Or something to that effect. Very vague.
The monastary people were nice enough to guide us around the temple and show us some things that the normal people don't get to see. For example, around the back of one of the altars was the huge huuuuuuge painting done entirely with the artist's right hand pinky finger. That's right, a wall-sized finger painting. It was actually very beautiful, and during the Cultural Revolution someone built a wall in front of it so it wouldn't be destroyed. No pictures allowed though.
It was slightly odd walking through the temples, yesterday being the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is one of those days where EVERYONE goes to the temple and offers food and incense to the ancestors. So we were like walking in front of the lines of people as they bowed and made their devotions. And after that, guess where we went. Home, of course! The end of the Hutong tour, in which nary a hutong was seen. False advertising, I tell ya. I would have been more satisfied with the tour if they had told us what were we actually going to see. As it is, I still want to see the hutongs! When is that tour leaving??
So Cheng got back to Beijing last Thursday, hurray! I still haven't been to his campus though, because he came here for the weekend. On Friday after class we met up at a shopping center... and when I say "met up" think lots of phone calls like "Um our bus just got hit by a car, we'll be there soon" and "You're standing on a bridge that says Beijing Welcomes You? Wow, that's helpful" and "Zhongguancun gouwu zhongxin! It says that in big red characters at the top!" and "I don't see a big screen TV... keep walking" etc etc. Needless to say, it is not easy to meet up in Beijing (especially when a certain someone can't really read Chinese signs... coughcough).
Anyway later that night some friends had met this music guy and we all went out to Wudaokou to catch a live music show. At first we were told the music was going to be heavy metal, but then no, it was supposed to be indie rock, and when we got there it was somewhere in between the two. Luckily the band (don't remember the name, but they were from Norway... think long blonde hair and everything) was basically done by the time we arrived. Afterwards we chilled at the bar, Cheng and I played some foosball and a Chinese drinking game with a German guy and a Chinese saxophone player. Good times, good conversation.
The next day I definitely didn't get motivated till two, and then the plan was to meet up with Cheng at the Summer Palace. Again, the whole "meet up" definitely backfired when our bus took us to the North Gate and he was stuck down at the East Gate (with no money because he forgot his wallet. Nice.). So Pre (from my program) and I rushed through the beautiful palace on the hill and went to the gate to rescue Cheng, and then the three of us chilled by the lake and decided we had to come back on a day that wasn't so smoggy and when we had enough time to rent a boat.
The next morning we got up early and went on a "hutong tour" provided by our school. See, the flier told us we'd be guided by an expert into the hutong neighborhoods to chat with the people who lived there. Only, we got on the bus and were first dropped off at the Lu Xun museum. Well, this is cool, I thought, I mean I wanted to come here anyway. We had an impromptu lesson from our tour guide about Beijing's development and cities in China in general. What did this have to do with the writer Lu Xun? I'm still not sure. Then we wandered around the museum and saw Lu Xun's old home (which was a hutong, so I guess we were sort of on the right track).We got on the bus again and this time it dropped us off at a Buddhist temple. Ummm ok this is definitely not relating to hutongs, but still interesting, I thought. Maybe there are hutongs located near this temple and we will be seeing them soon. But no, we were led into the temple for another impromptu lesson, this time with a monk. He seemed to be deeply respected and wanted us to ask him a lot of questions, but didn't seem so inclined to directly answer them. For example, as he was talking to us about his recent visit to Taiwan, he was fiddling with a very nice looking cell phone. And at one point our guide was translating and the monk actually took a phone call while he was sitting there. Um, what?
So I ask, trying not to pointedly stare at his phone, How do you balance the strict rule and regulations [of religion and monastary life] with modern technology and advances? Seems like a fair question, right? Worthy of an in-depth response... but no. He said, Well I make sure I find myself a good teacher. When I have a good teacher to guide me, I'm ok. Or something to that effect. Very vague.
The monastary people were nice enough to guide us around the temple and show us some things that the normal people don't get to see. For example, around the back of one of the altars was the huge huuuuuuge painting done entirely with the artist's right hand pinky finger. That's right, a wall-sized finger painting. It was actually very beautiful, and during the Cultural Revolution someone built a wall in front of it so it wouldn't be destroyed. No pictures allowed though.
It was slightly odd walking through the temples, yesterday being the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is one of those days where EVERYONE goes to the temple and offers food and incense to the ancestors. So we were like walking in front of the lines of people as they bowed and made their devotions. And after that, guess where we went. Home, of course! The end of the Hutong tour, in which nary a hutong was seen. False advertising, I tell ya. I would have been more satisfied with the tour if they had told us what were we actually going to see. As it is, I still want to see the hutongs! When is that tour leaving??
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