Guangzhou was the first stop on our tour of southern China. Getting off the airplane was nice, I didn’t need to wear my coat, and what’s this? There was actually green vegetation outside! Something Tyler nor I had seen for at least a couple months. Since we were only in Guangzhou for about a day, we simply roamed around, checked out the Pearl River, sampled some of the good local foods (Egg McMuffins are nothing compared to the egg biscuit I had!) and in the evening went tor a night ferry ride on the Pearl, to see the beautifully lit up buildings and bridges.

The next day, about an hour train ride later and we were in Shenzhen, mere kilometers from the border to Hong Kong. We didn’t do a lot in Shenzhen because it’s mostly just a border city and shopping haven for those coming from Hong Kong to buy cheap goods. Not to mention, so much of the shopping and eateries were still closed for the Chinese New Year “golden week” (what they call their week long national holiday). Thus there wasn’t a lot to do in the city, but it was alright, we relaxed and had some really spicy noodles as well as some local beer while we planned on how to get to Hong Kong, as well as what we’d do when we arrived.

Upon arriving in Taiyuan about 2 hours later I was greeted by Marina. I was pretty happy to see her because she had been in Taiyuan for a little over three weeks before I arrived. We spent a good part of the afternoon just walking around and seeing things in her hometown. A bit later on we met up with

Back to School

two of her friends (one of which we visited in Chengdu in November) and hung out with them as well. They showed me their high school, we ate some local snacks  as well as a nice dinner and then went to a club for a few drinks. A very enjoyable day without all the touristy sightseeing.

The next morning I went to pick-up Marina outside her house so we could walk to the train station. There I met her mother who wanted to come out and see who this boy, her daughter was going traveling with, was. We didn’t really talk, but I said “hello” and shook her hand and 30 seconds later Marina and I were walking to the train station.

We rode the fast train to Beijing so it only took about 3 hours. From the train station we were able to get on a subway to go to our hostel. After checking in, we spent most of the day just hanging out and doing whatever we wanted to do before heading to the airport. You see, my friend Tyler is visiting for the next 18 days or so, and would be joining us in Beijing, so we went to pick him up at the airport later that night.

Of course since Tyler would be here we’d have to some of the more touristy things in Beijing, but this being my second trip to Beijing in two years, I made it a point to do some different things and see things that I hadn’t seen before. That way it’d be exciting for me and him, and hopefully Marina as well.

The first day we visited Tienanmen square, but unfortunately were unable to visit Mao Zedong because his mausoleum wasn’t open. After Tienanmen square we took a look through the Forbidden city, which is really quite large and impressive. It’s impressive due to the size and craftsmanship considering it was built hundreds of years ago. The best part of that day actually was when the three of us went to eat hot pot at Hai Di Lao that evening. Seeing Tyler fishing for food and having a hell of a time with chopsticks was very amusing for Marina and I.

Gate to the Forbidden City

The second day in Beijing we took a trip up to the Great Wall of China. I had already seen this before as well, but we were able to go to another part of the wall called Mutianyu. I actually thought this place was much nicer than Badaling, the place I visited before, as it was much less crowded with tourists and way fewer shops selling crap. The fresh snow on the wall also made for a beautiful and unique experience.

Tyler climbing the Great Wall

There were of course a many people selling shirts and other random things, but the funny part about this was their concept of “one dollar”. You see, we’d walk past and they’d hold up shirts saying “you want t-shirt? one dollar!”, we say no and they say “two shirts for one dollar!”. So Tyler took out an American one-dollar bill and tried to get two shirts. Of course they say they want Chinese money, and then they want 30 yuan for a shirt! Sorry but one American dollar is only worth about 7 yuan, so when I offered them 7 yuan for a shirt they told me I was crazy. I think they’re the ones that are crazy.

While in Beijing we were also able to visit the Olympic grounds, which, now that the olympics are over, are actually very empty. We also saw the Temple of Heaven, which, in my opinion wasn’t all that impressive. Perhaps I’ve seen too many temples or perhaps it is because I just don’t understand everything, but eventually a temple looks like a temple looks like a temple. They all just blend together and aren’t that special anymore.

Bird's Nest in Beijing

Our last day in Beijing we simply woke-up, and headed for the airport to go to Harbin. The day started out pretty well but turned bad quickly. Unfortunately I had forgotten to put something in my checked luggage and didn’t want to discard it when going through security so Marina and I quickly searched for a post office or place to leave it while our departure time was quickly approaching. We found one, but in all the running around and confusion she lost her ID card. So now, her only ID card is her student ID which isn’t nearly as official as her government issued ID. Marina and I were the last passengers to board the plane, but we fortunately made it, although without her ID. So hopefully we can recover the ID when we get back to Beijing airport.

Check out the pictures! www.shaneburkle.com/photos

Marina advised me  of a lesser-known ticket office semi-near my school so I went there. I was rather nervous because I’ve never bought a ticket before and don’t think I know enough Chinese to complete the transaction. Being the helpful girlfriend that she is, Marina sent me a text message to show the ticket clerk telling him exactly what I wanted. Long story short, I arrived at 7:30, waited til the window opened at 8 AM (3rd in line), showed the clerk my message and had my ticket in about 5 minutes. Pretty smooth actually!

So now that I’ve got my train ticket, and Marina booked us another train ticket as well as airline tickets, I can actually say that I have solid plans for this trip. It looks a little something like this:

(click the city link for info about the location)

• 2/3 – Pingyao, Shanxi
• 2/4 – Taiyuan, Shanxi (Marina’s hometown)
• 2/5 -2/9 – Beijing (Great Wall, Forbidden City)
• 2/10 – 2/12 – Harbin/Yabuli (Ice festival and skiing)
• 2/13 – 2/17 – Xi’an (Chinese New Year with my Chinese family)
• 2/18 – 2/25 – Shenzhen/Guangzhou/Hong Kong

My buddy Tyler from the U.S. is going to be joining me on this trip as well, and I’ll be picking him up from the airport in Beijing. This will be his first experience in China and we’re going to make it well worth it. Marina is also coming with as well for the first half, after Harbin/Yabuli she’ll be heading back to Taiyuan for New Years with her own family. Outside of Beijing and Xi’an, I haven’t been to any of these places either, so it’ll be an exciting trip for me as well.

I’m also really excited for Chinese New Year, as I’ll be spending it with my Chinese family. Just like the wedding in Xunyang I posted about a month ago, I don’t really know what to expect so it’ll be an adventure. I plan to have quite a few blog updates as well as pictures in the coming month.