spent another week there. In a city of 18 million people, there is a
lot to do and see. In the morning we had free time, so Jane, Dad,
Karen and I decided to go shopping. Being in China without a guide is
a little bit more stressful than most places I've been because I can't
read any of the signs, but thanks to two terrifyingly daring taxi
drivers, we made it to the mall and back. Actually, on the way there
we saw a really intense fight between three bicycle cart drivers in
the middle of a busy intersection. Our taxi driver just swerved around
them like it was no big deal. Driving in Beijing, by the way, is
crazy. As our tour guide put it, the lanes and signs are more like
suggestions that nobody follows. Driving is kind of like playing one
giant, very expensive, game of chicken. Being a pedestrian isn't easy
either, as cars have the right of way here. Like, if you are on a
crosswalk with a walk sign and a car wants to turn left, it's your job
to get out of the way and avoid getting hit. We've already had a few
close calls in our group.
In the afternoon ate lunch at the house of a woman whose grandfather
was an artist for the government and trained her to take over his
business. Basically, she takes glass vases and paints beautiful
pictures (mostly landscapes) on them from the inside using a curved
brush. It seems incredibly difficult because she has to paint the
details and then the background. She also taught us how to make
dumplings and let us try too. Of course, mine fell apart…
After lunch we did a walking tour of a traditional neighborhood, which
has small, single-family houses crammed side to side along narrow
alleys. Our guide told us that the neighborhoods are disappearing as
the government takes them over to build skyscraper apartment buildings
for the growing population to live in. The way that housing works here
is pretty complicated. Some people own their own houses/apartments,
but most people lease them from the government. Everybody has to have
ID cards for their province, and with certain exceptions (marriage,
etc) they are not allowed to move to other provinces. Also, if
somebody is going to school in a different province than the one their
ID card says and they get sick, they have to go to a hospital in their
own province to get any insurance coverage.
After the neighborhood walking tour, we went to the Temple of Heaven,
which is gorgeous. It is this huge, one room structure that was used
by the emperors to pray to the heavens, usually for a good harvest.
That's about all I got out of it though because all of the
explanations there were only in Chinese.
Last night, after a delicious noodle dinner, we boarded an overnight
train. My group had a sleeper car to ourselves so we decided to have a
Fourth of July party in the hallway. Someone bought a bottle of the
traditional Chinese firewater, which smells like rubbing alcohol and
kind of tastes like it too. Luckily the train cart was selling "Great
Wall wine," which I also don't recommend unless it is your only
option. We arrived in Xi'an this morning and all promptly went to our
beds to shower and nap, which is where I am now.
I guess I should take this time to write a little bit about our group.
There are 16 of us, all couples except me, Karen, and an adult father
and daughter. As it turns out, summer isn't the most ideal time to
visit China (I think it has been in the 90s every day so far), so
about half of the couples here are traveling now because one of them
is involved in academics. Most of the people here are around my
parents' age, though there are a few older people, including two
really in shape 75-year-olds. So far everyone is getting along well,
though I think everybody is complaining a little bit too much. If they
wanted to relax and be comfortable they shouldn't have gone on a tour
of China! Mostly though, everybody has a good sense of humor and
adventure.
Our tour guide is Susanna, and she is fantastic! She has done a great
job of taking care of us and answering all of our questions, though I
am getting the feeling that the government tourism bureau has given
her quite a few guidelines. She has a mini umbrella that is decorated
like an orange panda (including ears sticking out of the top) that she
holds up when we are walking around. I find it probably more amusing
than most people that I am going to spend the next 2 weeks following
an orange panda around. Before we go into large crowds, Susanna always
reminds us, "We are a group! Stay together like sticky rice!"
So far I have only learned/retained a few words, so I will end with a
very short lesson:
Hello= Nee-how (not to be confused with neeow, which means "I have to pee")
How are you= Nee-how ma
Soso= mama hoohoo
Great!= dingding how
Thank you= Shi-eh shi-eh
I don't want (to buy)= Boo-yao
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