China days 4-6

 The first day in Beijing we went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square where there was snow on the ground and the wind was howling.

Fun Fact: Inside the Forbidden City there are tiny walls in front of the doors about a foot tall that keep out the spirits. Girls must step over them with their right foot first and men left foot.

When the group left there we went on a rickshaw ride into a poor neighborhood where we had a homemade meal that was delicious. After our meal we went to a place called the temple of heaven. It was so large and over looked the city we were in. The wind was so strong that it was actually moving us; if we had an umbrella it would have been game over. Next we went to a silk factory and learned the process of making silk. They showed us how they unwrapped the cocoons and turned the strands into threads. We also got to help them with a comforter by stretching the silk strands over a table. We weren’t very good we ripped it every time.

               Day 5 THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!! We hiked for a while and it was stunning, cold, but great. Did a handstand on the wall that made for some cool photos. To get up the wall we took a chair lift and to get back to the bottom of the mountain we rode a toboggan sled. It was so much fun and they went sooo fast. I kept it at full speed ahead. We then went to a kung fu school where they put on a performance for us that was so insane! They are so flexible and can move so fast it was amazing. This one guy threw a nail through a solid piece of glass! We learned a few moves from one of the students then were on our way to see the Olympic stadium. The Chinese are very proud of their Olympic stadium and our guide was excited to show us. The end of the day we saw an acrobatic show that was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I was pretty much having a panic attack the whole time watching their insane acts. For example, they would balance on each others heads then walk up and down ladders, or the round cage that people put motorcycles in and ride around, they put 8 people in it!!! The most I had ever seen was 4 and I thought that was crazy. They took acrobatics to a while new level.

My last day in China the group flew back to Hong Kong to meet the ship. We didn’t get much time there so I don’t have much to say about it.

Overall China was a lot of fun and the food was wonderful. I love Asian foods. Out of the two countries I will have to say that Japan is still my favorite.