Thanks, I will. ^^

Thanks! ^^ *needs to pack*

D8> OMG. LUCKY. Tell me everything when you get back! <3

...FOR JUSTICE.
I'll take the appropriate action.

@ faunet- *is grabbed by ankles*
...
*stuffs you in suitcase*

@ Her- Maybe I'll post a blog. ;D We have to be at my school at 2:45 in the morning. >>''

@ Paralda- I will. :DD

*sigh* I wish I had seen this earlier.
Some time, after you get back, I would like to do more with Amary and the Priest. And maybe with your new fawn character. Amary is grown up now, btw.

-------------------------------------
Nueva Paz (new-AY-va Pahz)
Spanish - "new peace"
Just call me Paz.
deer: Amary

OMGYOU'REBACK
HOW WAS IT
TELL ME everythiiiiiiiiing

...FOR JUSTICE.
I'll take the appropriate action.

Yay, welcome back!

-------------------------------------
Nueva Paz
Just call me Paz.
deer: Amary
Got questions?

Thanks for the welcome backs. *is glomped* Gah!

Well...it was different than we expected...

After our first day, about 1/2 of the group was quarantined for 5 days. They had sat next to/near a guy with a slight temperature (.5 over, I think...), and thus were taken in. They measured our temps. on the plane, then found that boy. Some people came in in hazmat suits. They stamped the people who were later to be quarantined's health declaration forms (which we had to fill out) with purple stamps. I was not in that group, luckily...The teacher who came with us and planned this whole thing out was crying. It was really horrible. Everybody was silent on the way back in taxis.

Some of that group went to the hospital, some to a hotel where other quarantine groups were staying. That teacher who was crying spent 48 HOURS on the phone, trying to get the ones who went to the hospital out. She succeeded. Also, all of Nepal prayed for them (possibly just one student, but eh) and a Chinese doctor who was a friend of theirs almost sent a private jet to get them out of the hospital. That was pretty neat.

Feels strange typing all of this. O.O Luckily, the Chinese government is thinking about loosening up its quarantine restrictions because it is costing them too much. ^^

There's so much to tell. o.o'' The rest of the group stayed in Beijing until they got out. During that time, we saw the Great Wall (when it was smoggy, and we couldn't really see anything...Gah). We all decided to take the "difficult" side. >.< Bad decision. Uneven steps, steep slopes...Not that fun. xDD Not my favorite part of the trip.

The food there is good. Red bean paste is now my favorite. It's really sweet. <3 I had a lot of sweet and sour stuff too (including sweet and sour fish). We ate out every day, so now I miss burgers. >.<

We also went to the Silk Market. That was our first introduction to bargaining (many of the prices of items in China are not fixed; you can often get them much lower). It was scary, but so, so fun. The merchants always call out to you ('lady' or 'girl' used to address me...) and some touch you. Occasionally, they will grab you. For example, I was in a silk scarf stand and tried to leave. The lady grabbed my arm and pulled me back in the shop. Literally. It was scary since I wasn't prepared for that.

One of my friend was also cornered by ladies in another stall. They tried to take his belongings (jokingly?) and also seemed pretty angry. He ended up buying a lot. (I also went back to that stall when we came back after the quarantined people were with us. I got insulted. xD).

I also bought a deer statue. I was thinking of you guys. ;P

That was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Spent a lot, but it was so fun.

Another favorite part was riding in rickshaws. That was SO cool. I saw parts of Beijing that I might not have seen otherwise. We saw shops, went down a street lined with trees, and saw houses that were very different from those in the inner city...But even they aren't so bad, I suppose. They are small and look broken down, but the one we visited had lighting and also heat (as of recently). It had been in the people we visited's family for generations. They were very kind and it was a...different experience.

Beijing is growing. Parts of it are very poor and reminiscent of a different time. That's what we saw when we ate dinner with a local family. Parts of it are very new and not too bad off. There are lights everywhere there. People still ride bikes. There are also cars, and everybody is on the same road (though in different lanes-there is a bike lane). The driving is insane, but the traffic isn't so bad. There were a few close calls...

Public toilets. *shiver* Many of them are squat toilets, which are basically holes in the ground that flush. Also, there seems to be a shortage of toilet paper in them. There's almost never a roll. Yeah. xD

Our hotel was nice. 3 beds in each room (though the door to the bathroom WOULD NOT CLOSE all the way). There was even a long koi pond near the front desk. The beds were hard. Apparently, peasants used to make their beds out of brick. Thus, they are used to hard beds and would expect them in hotels. Very interesting. We also got chicken nuggets (among other things) for breakfast. <3

We went to the Forbidden City, where the emperor used to reside. It's also called the Palace Museum. We also went to The Temple of Heaven. Pretty nice. Old Chinese style is very colorful, with blues, greens, and golds (blue =heaven, green=earth). I like it.

The Forbidden City was huge and had a beautiful garden at the end. It was pretty neat, though the weather was still smoggy (a clear day came...3 days later?). Ice cream is also strange in China, but good.

Tian'anmen Square is also something we visited. Very open. Got our group picture taken there (before some were quarantined). If you are not aware of what happened there, go [a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989] here [/a].

Yes, there were more soldiers. Nothing too bad. There were also people whose job it was to simply sit in some odd place (e.g in a building in the Forbidden City) and guard it. Strange, but apparently everybody has a job in a Communist country. ^^

We also went to the Ming Tombs (pretty) and the Lama temple. The Lama temple houses many Budda sculptures and people were praying there. I felt awkward and ended up going to the courtyard (after exploring a bit). I sat on a park bench under some trees, which was so peaceful and quiet. Lots of sparrows in China.

Don't remember what else we did while the quarantine people were away, except shopping. ^^ After they came back, we went back to the Great Wall (I took the tram-thingy up). It was sunny this time, so I enjoyed it much more (not to mention that it was less difficult). You could see for a long way. We also went back to the Silk Market, the Jade Factory (saw how jade is carved), and the other Silk Market (where we saw how silk is made). I had to endure Ms. X (calling her that for now; she was the one who was crying)'s incessant nagging (everything I did was wrong; apparently she was nagging the rest of the group too). I'm kinda glad she went to quarantine only for that reason. I actually got to enjoy Beijing when she wasn't there. So glad I don't have to deal with her anymore.

We also went to the zoo (which, according to one student's travel guide, is "death row" for animals). It was boring, really. All the animals seemed sleepy (and the black bear enclosure was really sad. It was concrete with a small bit of water, and trees that had plastic things around the bottoms so the bears could not climb them and get out). Eh. Different, I suppose.

Then we went to Hong Kong for our last night. The air is so heavy in China, including Hong Kong. I hated it. The island itself is beautiful...if you don't look at the city. Everything seems to be neglected (in terms of buildings) and everybody is on top of each other. Our hotel room was also tiny, so I ended up sleeping on the window seat. I don't want to go back there.

Then came the 12 hour flight (better than our 14 hour one to get to China; the extra two hours were added on because we had to go around a volcano that had exploded). I had to it next to a man (from Vietnam, which was cool) and a woman I did not know. They were nice and I got a window seat, but I really wish I had had an isle seat. I hope the rest of their trips go well.

We ended up doing 27 hours of traveling (or 26:54, but hey). I'm glad to be home (and away from Ms. X). I'm hoping to take Chinese lessons. ^^ It was an interesting trip, but now I'm just going to rest (and eat burgers). Glad we're away from a government that has THAT much control too.

So, there's my trip. How's that, Her? xDD

( Please select post a new comment instead of clicking reply. I might think of something more! )

Lol, the roofing. xD Mainly, that's just on the preserved buildings. These poor parts are kinda like...very small with little "Chinese" style (from what I remember). The koi pond-thingy didn't have lotuses. ;-; Just fishies. <3 Their history is amazing. It really is.

I hope you get there eventually. Communism and a government that has pretty much total control is different, though so much about China is the same. It was like visiting any other city (though it was all in a different language...).

Unfortunately, I only had disposable cameras, but I might scan the pictures in when they're developed.

Lol! I didn't. xD Or I don't feel like I did (though there were a lot of people staring at me [seeing as I was a foreigner and stood out like a sore thumb]).

I forgot how to say "you're welcome". >.<

That's fine. xD

They did? D: I had to wonder why you didn't pop out when I opened it. *sigh*

Was it the U.S.A side or the China side?

*is picturing their faces*

Bert: Hey...Rob, come here.
Rob: What?
Bert: Look at this. *pulls you out of suitcase*
Rob:...That's a new way of smuggling people.

Oh dear. I think you might've gotten weird looks either way. xD

*read it* Nice! ^^

Fair enough. Though you could have come out wearing a chicken suit and singing the llama song...

Well, I see that every day. The eggs are a nice touch, though.

I live in a strange world. (In other words, I wish.)