I Love China

Yikes! An entire week to catch up on. I will try not to bore you with too many details, but I also don't want to leave out too much. Reader beware: there are A LOT of photos.

Last Saturday, Scott and I left the kids and took off to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Destination: Beijing. 

I was frantically typing up my last post while we were waiting in the terminal to take off. We arrived into Beijing around 10pm. After the 45 minute cab ride to the hotel we literally crashed. We awoke the next morning (afternoon) to beautiful blue skies, crisp Fall air, and a brand spanking new downtown. My first impression of Beijing: "this is exactly like Salt Lake City!" We immediately wanted to start hitting the sights. The one tricky part about China is that hardly anyone speaks English. Thus the hotel sent us off with two cards: one to inform the taxi drivers where we were staying, and the other was a list of all the popular tourist destinations (written in Chinese characters). So you hop into a taxi, and without words, point to where you would like to go, followed by a grunt of acknowledgment from the driver, followed by you agreeing (even though you are not sure they know where you want to go).

Our first stop was Tiananmen Square. Scott was really pumped up about this one. So here we are with good ol' Chairman Mao.

I wanted this picture to look as if I was leaning by head against Mao. Scott told me I had it right, but I realized he lied when I saw the picture. When questioned about it, he told me it was embarrassing.  (Hasn't Scott realized yet that my goal in life is to embarrass him?)

This guard WOULD NOT let us take his picture. It was almost comical. Every time we bent down to snap a photo of him, he would click his heals and turn away. After a while he finally asked us to stop trying to take his picture. Actually, his exact words were, "No!"

Once we were done roaming Tiananmen, we headed for the Forbidden City. As we walked into the gates, we were accosted by tons of people. They all generally ask the same question. "You going to the Great Wall? You need guide?" One girl in particular stood out - probably because she had shockingly fake blue eyes. She also wanted to know if we needed a guide for the Great Wall and we told her we would talk to her later - of corse we expected to never see her again. 

In the Forbidden City we were given this really cool (please note the sarcasm) headset to wear. It has a GPS locator, so it speaks only when you walk into specific areas. It clipped onto one ear and was really strange looking. It felt and looked like the world's first hearing aid.

I found this quote in a garden located in the Forbidden City. Let me just say, I love how the Chinese know how to get a point across with the least words possible.

Scott was a celebrity in China. This family wanted him to hold their little boy. I personally think he looks a little baby hungry in this picture. Don't get any ideas Scott...I am still on a break. 

After we left the Forbidden City, we were approached by another young female. "You go to the Great Wall? You need guide?" Just as we were about to say no, we noticed she had shockingly fake blue eyes. "Well, hello again!" (We had been told it was okay to hire tour guides off the street - that sounds kind of bad - but that we should talk to them for a while to make sure they knew their stuff and that they spoke good english.) We spent quite a while with "Candy" (yes, that was the name on her business card) testing out her english and knowledge of the area. We finally negotiated a price and agreed on a time to meet. Just as we were about to leave, Candy says, "I will not be the one to meet you tomorrow." Ummmm....okay?

The next morning we were met by our guide, "Haha". She clarified that was her American name, "after the American Band". I guess she was referring to "Aha" who had the one hit wonder "Take On Me". Luckily Haha was a good tour guide and the day went relatively well. Our first port of call was the Summer Palace.  I thought it was absolutely stunning. However, there were A TON of stairs! 

See that tower? Hiking to the top but a total butt burner.

When we left the Summer Palace I really needed to use the restroom. I asked Haha where to go. She pointed me in the right direction and then asked if I would like a tissue. Sure. I would love a tissue...I guess. I thought she gave it to me so I could dry my hands since the weather was so cold. When I entered the stall I became painfully aware as to why I needed a tissue. The bathroom was a hole in the floor with a door in front of it. Period. No toilet paper. No toilet. No flusher. Just....the hole. I made a mental note to only use public bathrooms when completely and utterly necessary.

Our next stop was the Great Wall. We chose a particular location to visit because it is less "touristy" and there is an Alpine Slide you can take to get down. When we bought our tickets for the Great Wall they told us we could also buy insurance for 1 yuan a piece. (For some reason the price made me think of Obama). We asked what on earth would a 1 yuan (approx. one American penny) insurance policy cover. Since they had no idea we thought it would be fun to buy it.

We were sent to the Great Wall on the most rickety ski lift I have ever seen (let alone travel on) in my life. I was seriously concerned about making it to the top alive.

The Wall was spectacular. But again...a ton of steps. My thighs/calves/legs/butt/hips were screaming! Scott had to take a break because he was feeling so weak ;)

This picture was taken in honor of Scott's "man bag". The "man bag" was loving given to him by his older sister, Shannon. You can't see it too good against the back drop of the mountains, but Scott wanted evidence that the "man bag" had made it to the Great Wall.

Tired from the hike. 

After my fall off the Alpine Slides this summer, I was more than cautious going down this time. Especially since falling off would mean a very long and painful fall to my death.  When we got off our carts, these guys were waiting to take pictures with us. We got all into the act and thought it was so cool - until they told us our pictures cost 40 yuan each. Hey! That's eighty times more than our insurance policy!

The drive to and from the Great Wall took about an hour each way. A large portion of the drive was spent in the countryside. Throughout the entire day, our driver could not help honking at anything and everything. At one point we were on a wide open dirt road. 100 yards up the road, a little old woman was pedaling her bike down a side walk. Our kind drive spent the entire 100 yards honking at her to get out of the way. I started to count the time in between his "honking episodes". In the end he averaged about three back-to-back honks every 45 seconds....and that was in the country. By the time we got into the city Scott and I were expecting his horn to give out. The frequency of his episodes increased to every five or ten seconds. 

Scott is NOT a fan of local cuisine unless we are in the US or Mexico... so that night we wound up eating at a pizza parlor. It was seriously one of the best pizzas I have ever had in my life. However, that may be due to the fact that it was 6pm and we had not eaten since breakfast. While I was inhaling my supreme meat pizza, I got the chuckles after seeing this sign taped to our table. (Okay, so maybe sometimes the Chinese are not so concise with their wording). 

After dinner we went to the coolest place on earth: The Silk Market. It is a shopper's paradise...and I am not even a big shopper. It is basically an entire mall of knock of merchandise. I am talking everything from luggage to clothes to jewelry. The best part about it is that you get to barter for everything - and thanks to some friends, I totally knew the rules of the game! I generally hate to barter, but here it is a blast.

The next day was the beginning of a big adventure for us. We had decided that we wanted to go to Xian to see the Terra-cotta Warriors. However, the only way to get to Xian is by plane...or a 12 hour train ride. Obviously, the train ride was a bit less painful for the pocketbook. We thought it most time efficient to take the night train to Xian, spend the day in Xian, and then take another night train back to Beijing. I took a nice long shower that morning knowing it would be at least another 48 hours before I could again bathe or change my clothes. We had the front desk check our bags into a special little closet and we set off with little more than our toothbrushes, some anti-bacterial gel, and our passports.

We decided to visit the Temple of Heaven before heading off on the train.

After the Temple of Heaven we went to grab lunch at McDonald's (yes, we are lame tourists). We attempted to catch a cab to go back to the hotel, but no one wanted to give a us a ride! We tried to hail at least seven empty cabs. The drivers would either act like they didn't see us, or they would shake their head and drive away. Weird! (and kind of insulting)

That must have been the day for bad cab drivers, because later we had the hotel hail a cab for us to go to the train terminal. When the driver saw us, he looked none too happy. After we got in the car he kept talking and angrily adjusting himself in his seat. He also had the station turned to some type of bizarre Chinese talk radio. We were very happy when he dropped us off at the terminal. 

After spending two hours in a very crowded bus terminal, we boarded our train. Our compartment had two bunk beds extremely close to each other. Because we had bought our tickets so late, Scott and I were assigned two top bunks. Our travel mates were two men; one being a very nice middle-aged business man, the other was an extremely loud man who kept inviting his lady friend into our very cramped compartment. He also decided to take a few phone calls which he felt the need to shout through. 

I was reading a very interesting book to distract myself and was so caught up in the story line that I was actually able to tune out "loud talker". Just as I was about to hit a high point of my book, the compartment was suddenly pitch black. Guess it's time to go to bed. I grabbed my very hard pillow and fell asleep.

I was immediately roused from my slumber by a very loud noise. "Loud talker" was also an extremely loud snorer. It was so loud that I could not for the life of me fall asleep. I finally decided to start counting his snores (like counting sheep) to see if that would coax me back to sleep. I guess it worked because I somehow woke up again. This time "Loud Talk/Snorer" was accompanied by our business man. "Business man" had more of a wheezie snore while "Loud talker" had a honking one. At some point it sounded like an obscene musical.  Needless to say, it was a long night.

In the morning I had the choice experience of using the communal washroom in the common area to brush my teeth. I noticed a soap pump on the counter and squeezed some into my hand. Just as I started to lather my soap suds, it hit me that the soap belong to the girl grooming next to me at the sink. (Probably from the dirty look she gave me and my hands).

We had arranged for a driver to meet us in Xian. When we got off the train I saw the big sign with Scott's name on it and waved at the man. He nodded to me, and then turned around and started walking. For some reason, the guy took off like a flash of lighting. I felt like Jason Bourne trying to chase someone through the streets of an unknown city.  The man then made a mad dash down a flight of stairs into some kind of underground tunnel/apartment complex. We turned corner after corner, passing filthy corridors and dank rooms. Every time I turned another corner, I would just catch the tail of our driver's coat going around the next turn. At some point I started to fear that we were being led into some kind of trap. Eventually we ended up in a parking garage. The driver then told us his name was Joey...and that was about the extent of his english. Scott kept trying to engage him in conversation and he would shake his head and say, "Yeah!" 

At least Joey knew where we wanted to go for the day, so he was very efficient at getting us to our desired locations.

Stop no. 1 - the Terra-cotta Warriors. 

The high light of the trip to Xian was meeting the farmer who discovered the warriors. (Note the side picture of him shaking hands with Bill Clinton). I wonder if he will frame this one and put it on his desk too.

We then just kind of hung around Xian waiting for our next train. We had a great lunch at some japanese restaurant and then meandered around. 

We got to the train station two and a half hours before we were scheduled to leave. Scott and I bought a deck of cards and spent two hours in a McDonald's playing Slap Jack. I felt bad we were hogging a table, so I invested in a Coke Zero. 

Below are some pictures of the train terminal. I cannot begin to explain how unbelievably crazy/crowded/confusing this place was. Unlike the terminal in Beijing, none of the signs were in english.

Luckily we had very quiet roommates on this leg of the trip. I slept so well I literally woke up minutes before we arrived in Beijing. The downfall of my extended sleep: the washroom was locked and I could not brush my teeth! VILE!!! No shower (or change of clothes) for over two days..at least let me clean my teeth. The best I could do was fish out a piece of gum and chew like a cow to make sure it killed all the smelly germs in my mouth.

The only other time in my life I have ever been so excited to take a shower was after Girls' Camp. It felt so good to clean up! After we had freshened up, we decided to head to the Olympic Venues. The Bird's Nest was incredible...you are allowed to just meander around wherever you like. 

A group of locals was really excited about taking pictures with me and Scott. Everyone in Asia loves to give the peace sign when taking a picture, so I had to join in on the fun. My favorite part was when Scott was taking a picture with one of the guys. They were standing together with their arms around each other, and for some reason, everyone else was completely distracted. After about 60 seconds, with his arms around a male stranger, Scott realized no one was taking any pictures of them and finally asked what was going on. 

It was really sad to leave Beijing. Scott and I had a fantastic time together. However, we were DYING to get back to our boys.

It was so nice to be a family once again!

On a side note...our very first day together we had Jacob's last soccer game, followed by the team party. We all had a great time and then headed over to the house where the boys had been staying for the past week. I hopped out of the car and told everyone to wait while I got the boys' bags. I had some trouble getting the front gate open, so a few seconds later I was accompanied by Scott and the boys. We were then invited into the house to socialize for a while. We hung out for a little less than an hour and then decided to go get some lunch. Just as we were about to get out of the car to eat, I went to see how much money was in my purse. 

Where is my purse? OH MY GOSH!!! WHERE IS MY PURSE!!??

So there you have it. My first day back in Singapore and my purse in snatched out of the car. (Guess we forgot to lock the door). I was really upset about the whole situation, but then realized it could have been a lot worse. What the culprit found in my bag: a free cell phone (which has been dropped more times than I want to admit), $30, my BYU hat, and a pair of shoes from Build-A-Bear. What they did not get: my wallet which I luckily had left at home. Ha, ha sucka!!!! 

Still, I am really mad about my new knock of Coach being stolen :(