Anyways tho, working in a year round school supplies me with very little lengthy Holiday time, but more so my work schedule is riddled with random public and government days off of work throughout the year. About once a month I receive a day off work usually due to a government Holiday. For instance, today is Red Day (the Korean Independence Day from Japan) and I was given the day to myself. Altho I didn't do much of anything except go out with friends to my favorite Bundang bar and did some grocery shopping today, it is still very nice to have a 4 day work week :)
There are many other 1 or 2 day Government holidays that I am given off throughout the year, and next month I actually have a 5 day weekend for Chuseok, the annual lunar new year marking the celebration of harvest. My good friend Nicola and I are in the works of planning a trip to Busan, one of the most sought after beach locations in all of Korea. the long white sandy beaches will be a nice way to spend 4 days and we are really looking forward to our escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life. However, that is still over a month away...but did you happen to know that a 2 weeks ago my school had it's summer vacation...and that on my summer vacation I went to Beijing, China!
I went to Beijing with the same group that I arrange most of my weekend trips here in Korea, Adventure Korea. This trip was their very first international trip but I heard it is just the beginning of them taking adventure seekers throughout all of Asia. Now I usually like to go on Adventure Korea trips because they offer many activities and guided tours but also allow for a lot of free time and relaxation. However, due to this being a 4 day trip to Beijing and it being only a small group of 19 people, the group all stuck together with a Chinese tour guide (who was a blast!!) My 3 friends, Hannah Matthew and Sean, and I went together and really enjoyed our time there. altho everyday was jam packed with activities and traveling through Beijing traffic (terrible) it was still one of the best decisions I have made for myself. Beijing was wonderful!
Never in my life did I think that I would actually be able to witness and experience all the great wonders, historical sites, treasures, modern and ancient sites and cultural activities that I did while on my 4 day trip in Beijing! I would honestly love love love to write a very long entry about my vacation in Beijing but I honestly have so many details, visited a plethora of beautiful ancient and modern sites, and experienced both touristy and everyday Chinese life I feel as if I could write 2 or 3 blog entries on my trip! So...instead here is my itinerary of what I did each day and also a link to my Facebook album created for my vacation in China!
On Monday, July 30th I met my group bright and earl, at Incheon Airport and after a couple of hours in the air we arrived in China and started the touristy stuff straight away.
Our first stop was the Summer Palace. These palace grounds contain Longevity Hill, with many houses and buildings positioned in sequence, and central Kunming Lake, a man-made lake. The soil that was removed to make the lake helped build Longevity Hill. The landscape of the Summer Palace grounds is considered a masterpiece as nature (the lake and hills) combined with pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges come together harmoniously.
And lastly, on this very busy day, we visited Wangfujin Street This shopping street is mostly for pedestrians and has been a commercial haven since the Ming Dynasty.The streets are filled with traditional shops and eateries...and this is where I bought and ate Scorpions and Snake on a stick! It was surprisingly good...not crunchy, nor slimy....by very almost meaty feeling.....
After the Palace we visited a tea and pearl shop for some refreshing tea and learned all about the pearl harvesting process and how to tell the difference between real and fakes. It was actually really neat and I enjoyed this stop more than I though.
In the evening we went to watch a Chinese Acrobatic show only to be followed by a Chinese foot massage and a dinner of authentic Beijing Duck and a 'famous' Chinese resturaunt. I actually....didn't like the duck...but the side dishes were wonderful :)
On Tuesday we made our way to the centre of the city to visit the third largest square in the world; Tiananmen Square, with it’s long cultural and political history for China. It’s main purpose was as a massive meeting place. Several important events in China’s history took place here, including political events and students protests. The most commonly known is the protest of 1989 where soldiers opened fire on protesters killing several hundred unarmed civilians. Today this wide open space is heavily monitored by police and surveillance cameras. From the square you can see the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, the National Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People along the fours sides of the square.
After The Forbidden city and our not-so-hot chinese buffet lunch ,We went to the Temple of Heaven. This complex of religious buildings is situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. This area was visited by Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for harvest ceremonies each year. While here we got the chance to visit several buildings including The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, which is a triple gabled circular building, almost 40 meters high. The Imperial Vault of Heaven, another small circular building surrounded by The Echo Wall ,that can transmit sound over large distances, and The Circular Mound Altar, which is an actual altar three levels high.
On Wednesday we made the long bus ride to the THE GREAT WALL! :)
Once at the wall we rode a cable car up near the wall then walked the rest of the way up and along the top of this ancient marvel. Built as a defensive wall to keep out invaders from the North. This huge construction stretches for miles in both directions. The Badaling area is the most well preserved section of the Great Wall. We could check out the outposts and the view from the wall as we were be up around 1000 metres above sea level. It was truly as beautiful as all the photographs I had ever seen!
Following the great wall we visited Beihai Park. This park was built around the 10th century and is the largest Chinese garden. The various structures and landscapes were designed to represents some of the most beautiful places in China. Inside the park there are palaces, temples and a huge lake that is over half the size of the entire park.
Then we will traveled around the Hutong district by rickshaw. A rickshaw is the men who ride their bicycles while pulling two people in covered wagon :) It was a fun way to see the area and the alleys we traveled through are formed by lines of traditional courtyard houses. Joining several houses together, forms a close neighbourhood or Hutong. It was really interesting to see how the 'real' people of Beijing lived and what their homes looked like.
This night, instead of going back and hitting bed, my new friends and I stayed up and sampled some Chinese liquor...lets just say it was a good last night in China :)
On Thursday (the last day) we actually went to the 2008 Summer Olympic Park. It was pretty awesome! I got to see the birds nest stadium and the Swimming 'Cube' where Michael Phelps fist debuted as a swimming superstar! following Olympic Park and before heading to airport, we were given a few hours free time to explore more around the area of Wangfujin street.
Sadly, we then made our way to the Airport to say goodbye to China. I am not sure If I will ever return to China, as in all honesty it was never at the TOP of my lis of places to go...but if the opportunity ever arises I for sure will take it because there is so much more that I never got a chance to see during my short visit!
Lastly tho, here is a link to my album featuring all the wonderful sites and memories of Beijing :)
Great blog! So jealous!! Want to go see China soon.
ReplyDeleteLike the change-up in style!! Very nice!
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