I would like to thank the significant other who posted everything on this blog from e-mails that were sent to him while we were in China. I will be going back through all the posts and updating a few of them and moving a few photos around as I was always quite exhausted while writing these posts and I may have missed a few things that I wanted to include. So keep checking back for updates and thanks for enjoying our trip with us!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Final Tallies
We took 12 flights, 7 trains, 4 boats and countless busses and private cars through the past 27 days. Yikes!
(3 more flights will be added to my total in a couple of days).
OH, and by the way, my feet are still sore!
The same date, twice.
April 18, 2011
It is hard to describe the déjà vu and strange feeling you get when you have the same day twice. Meaning when we left this morning from our hotel in Beijing, we arrived in Seattle on the same morning at the same time that we had left our hotel. So we are living the same day twice.
Leaving China was sad, but we were excited to come home. It’s been 26 days of traveling, living out of our suitcases and really missing good internet from sites that are not blocked. Some cities we weren’t even allowed to get onto CNN. Mostly it was just all of the social networking sites that were blocked- facebook, twitter, hootsuite, blogger, etc.
When we arrived at the Beijing airport Terminal 2, we put all of our luggage on 3 carts and entered looking for the Delta counter, which we found and then made our way to the business class section. Luckily we were flying business class as with 6 checked bags and the 70 lb weight limit, we certainly needed that! Then we went through security, got a full body pat down (everyone did) and went to the equivalent crown room, which was very nice.
 |
| Our carry-on's in the crown room equivalent. |
Then it was time to board our 777 for our 11 hour flight to Seattle. Before we could get onto the plane we had to go through another security check where everyone was individually scanned and bags were opened to take water out. It was a nice idea to have another security check before we boarded and I think the US should do that too. We had dinner first and then breakfast right before we landed. Dad slept a fair amount on the flight, mom slept for a few hours and I slept for maybe an hour but rested the whole time and watched 3 movies- cheesy movies: Gulliver’s Travels, Little Fockers, and the Tourist (which I couldn’t finish because we were landing). It was a very bumpy flight actually, and mom as usual started talking with the stewardesses, who were lovely and one of them gave us the name of about 20 places to go to next time we are in Beijing for pearls. It was a long flight, but it really wasn’t too bad. It was cool to see the artic circle area and Russia and the Bering Straight. (that would be a fun trip)
The Purser on the plane said over the loud speaker when we were about to land, good morning, again, on the 18th of April. When we arrived in Seattle, we deplaned and our flight was a little bit early and arrived before customs was open. So we had to wait a few minutes before they opened and we went through, then went down to get our checked bags, 5 of the 6 bags were the first ones off of the plane and the 6 was a little bit later. It was nice to have them so quickly! We then had to drop them off so they could board our next flight to NY. We had to go through security again and take out our liquids and take off our shoes and jackets, which we are not used to anymore… you don’t have to do that in China! We went to the crown room and it was nice to see all the signs in English and that everyone spoke English. It was then time for us to board our next 4.5 hour flight from Seattle to JFK. The plane was an old Northwest plane, so we didn’t have any in flight entertainment and were given a voucher because of it. Pretty neat. We were served breakfast again (our second breakfast of the day).
My brother was waiting at the airport to pick us up and I think he was very relived that we were home. We had to actually get off the plane not at a gate and we got onto this special bus that raised up to reach our plane door and then lowered us so that we could drive to a gate to be dropped off. It took a lot longer, but it was different and kind of cool to experience. We successfully got all of our bags and got stuck is terrible traffic on the way home- it took us a little over 3 hours to get home!! So overall, we had about a 28 hour travel day.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Windy Great Wall
Another nice touring day in Beijing! We woke up early again this morning, warmed our butts on the toilet seat and got ready to climb the Great Wall. We met our guide in the lobby and got into the van for about an hour drive. However, we didn’t go directly to the Great Wall, we made a pit stop at a Jade factory and learned all about Jadeite and other similar stones. Really quite interesting and then we had to look at some Jade and figure out what we wanted.
After an hour of choosing things, we were exhausted already… shopping is definitely my least favorite thing to do. We then drove a bit further and arrived at the section of the Great Wall that we would be climbing. It was very neat actually, though the crowds were unbelievable. Our guide wanted us to go up one side of the wall that looked really, really crowded and when we looked across the valley there was another section that looked much emptier, but in the end we climbed the more crowded section because our guide said it had better views. We climbed up for about 1.5 hours until we almost reached the highest point of the section we were climbing and then decided to turn around as it looked like a storm was coming in… sure enough as we reached the bottom, it was super windy (it was very windy for the whole hike) and it had started to rain.
We got back into our van at the base and went to a Cloisonne factory to see how it was made- I had no idea it started from Copper. We quickly walked through the process and the area of where you buy things and were taken to a spot to have some lunch. It was okay.
Next on the list was the Ming Tombs, which were about 20 minutes from where we just were. The Ming Tomb area was very nice- not very crowded and very pretty. Spring time here is beautiful because everything around us is green and in the spring all the trees blossom to beautiful pink, white and magenta colors. We were only allowed to sort of see one tomb- on top of a large mound of dirt and they had a museum with the information about the whole area that once was. As visitors we were not allowed to see most of the area, but the parts we could see were very nice.
And that concluded our long day… though a long drive home- over an hour- because of rush hour and accidents (as no one knows how to drive here, though it is a little bit better in Beijing than the rest of the country). Again this evening we had some bread and cheese and some of the food we brought with us that we hadn’t finished yet and didn’t want to bring back home. It is very sad that tonight is our last night. However, I think we are ready to come home. And we definitely need a vacation from this vacation!
Culture Shock Part Deux
When the toilet seat is warm when you go to the bathroom in the morning, you know it’s going to be a good day! This hotel is very nice and one of then nicest we’ve stayed in. We went downstairs for breakfast early this morning and there were more Caucasian people than we’ve seen all month. We’ve decided when people say they’ve come to China and that everyone speaks English, they haven’t really been to China- they’ve been to one of the big cities… and welcome to Beijing.
We met our tour guide, Wendy (her English name) in the lobby of the hotel at 8am, for a full day of sightseeing around the city and organized shopping. I will not write all of the details of day, rather show more photos as I am utterly exhausted, but I will say a few things. We began our sightseeing at the Temple of Heaven with at least 2000 other tourists. We thought that this tour was going to be with other people in a large bus or van and we were not looking forward to it at all. However, we found out yesterday (another TBN) that we had a 15 person van with a driver and a private tour guide just for us. So we could take longer or shorter at certain sites and go to areas that are a little bit different. We decided that for this trip, we would see the main touristy things- as you have to see them once- and then we never have to go back. The Temple of Heaven was huge and very interesting. We learned much history and information about China today that no one has told us on all the tours we’ve taken. So it was a nice experience.
Then we went to Tianmen square and the Forbidden City with another at least 2-3000 people in the biggest square I’ve ever seen. We did not wait in the massive line to see Mao’s tomb, but there was a large photo of him at the end of the square with red flags all around. We also witnessed the changing of the guards, which happens every 3-4 hours. My phone again stopped working while we were here and I called verizon while we were touring the Forbidden City!
All day, mom was obsessed and really it wasn’t just today, it’s the entire trip, mom was obsessed with taking photos of children. Today was no exception. Every kid we passed, she would take photos. She also started taking photos of homeless people (which this is the first time we’ve seen any). As we were walking back from the Square, she took a few photos of one homeless person and then one woman had crutches with big towels on the end of them and as mom started taking a photo of her, she started yelling and cursing at mom and started coming towards her. Mom tried to get out of the way as quickly as possible and started running a bit. We could hear the woman continue to scream as we walked far away from her!
Then we went to a silk factory where we learned how silk was made and bought a few things there. It was actually really neat.
Many people speak English here and it has been very strange for us that there are so many people speaking English and looking not Chinese. It’s the first time in a month that we have experienced this. It’s a bit of culture shock.
Next was the Summer Palace which was also packed with people and it was quite windy. This was the summer residence of the Emperor and Empress.
After an extraordinarily long day, we arrived back at the hotel around 6:30pm and then debated for over an hour what we wanted to do for dinner. We sent dad out on a mission to find some food and a little over a half hour later, he returned from walking all around the neighborhood. He had found a grocery store and bought some bread, cheese and some kettle chips! We haven’t had cheese in weeks… or potato chips. It was delicious. We were exhausted. We had almost 14,000 steps today. Tomorrow we climb the Great Wall and see the Ming tombs- another very long day!
A Celebration of Dad
Friday was an exciting, nerve wrecking, sad day and was also a travel day (or evening as I should say). It began with a nice breakfast downstairs- and a 28 floor elevator ride. Mom and I were picked up at 8:50am and walked about 2 blocks away to the Pediatrics hospital to be given a tour. When we arrived, there was a large banner welcoming mom to the hospital. It was very cool!
Then we were escorted to a special VIP room to wait for the inauguration ceremony to begin. In the room, we met all of the other people in attendance for the occasion. Two of the nurses/translators stayed in the room to watch our bags, while we were then escorted into the large lecture hall that was decorated very formally (compared to yesterday) with red table cloths, flowers and a large table up on the stage where mom and dad were sitting, the president of the hospital, the superintendent of all the hospitals in Chengdu, our guide/translator/doctor from Columbia and someone else whom I don’t remember who he was.
The ceremony began with the Vice President of the hospital saying welcome and thanks for coming and etc all in Chinese. I was sitting in the front row of the hall with other important people whom I did not know. Mom was sitting next to the President of the hospital and Dad was sitting next to the superintendent and our lovely translator. Then he was asked to give his speech and he did really well. It lasted for about 20-25 minutes with the translation. Then the superintendent and the other guy up on the podium said a few speeches that were very short and while they were talking both the president of the hospital and the translator told mom and dad, respectively, what they were saying. They presented dad with the plaque that will be hung for the PD center and presented a few other contracts and things that both he and the President signed. And that was the end of the ceremony. Then many photos were taken under the banner and with the whole Nephrology staff and some other people and then we were done.
We were escorted back to the private room to get our things and then we had to quickly rush back to the hotel and pack up all of our bags in 10 minutes. We accomplished that and all in our fancy clothes! We then packed a second large car with our 6 bags and we got into the first car and drove the 40 minutes outside the city near the airport actually to a beautiful restaurant on a lake to have lunch with the Vice Mayor. It was definitely an experience. He is second in command of the city/province of Chengdu and he does not just invite anyone to lunch. Many of the people there had never met him before. He was very down to earth and was actually a professor of English Literature with a concentration in Shakespeare. Cool!
The lunch was the most ornate we’ve ever had and they even rolled out 2 huge pig legs and the chef came out and carved them in front of us. There were many, many dishes and so many toasts people became very drunk very quickly. They had us try a special very strong alcohol just available in Chengdu and mom said that it tasted a bit like chocolate. Then I tried some and it really did have an end note of a hint of chocolate. Everyone said that mom and I are romantics because we thought it tasted like chocolate. It could be that we haven’t had any chocolate in over a month and we’re craving some?! The alcohol was delicious and we thought about buying a bottle to take home and everyone said they would tell us where to buy, but they never did.
The Vice Mayor invited all of us back to Chengdu whenever we wanted and thanked dad for helping to make his city a better place. He also personally invited the bro and Bren back as well. He also was getting drunk and had meetings all afternoon, but invited mom to come back to the city by herself! It was pretty funny.
After the 2 hour lunch, we left the beautiful place and were then driven really far away to a Jade place, where we spent at least 1 1/2 hours looking at jade and drinking tea in the corner of the store. Everyone was a bit drunk too and so we were very sleepy at the table looking at the jade. It was exhausting, but we did find something that was somewhat affordable. While we were at the Jade place, our translator/guide/doctor helped us by calling the travel company that was supposed to pick us up at the airport later in the evening. We asked the travel agent back in the states to make sure that we had a large vehicle picking us up, but we weren’t so sure she had accomplished that. And boy, am I glad we had her call. They were just going to send a tiny car and they had no idea that we needed a bigger car. She arranged for a 15 person van to pick us up at the airport and for us to use for the entire weekend! Without her calling, we would have been completely screwed.
Then it was time for us to head to the airport. We waited for a bit on the way for the second car with our luggage and then both vehicles went together to the airport. When we arrived, the driver got us some carts and we filled up three of them with mom rolling the carry-ons to check in.
We were flying Premium First class, which we have never flown before... business class was apparently sold out and so they bought mom and dad tickets in this class and then we were able to upgrade me from coach to the Premium Class. We checked all of our bags and still had to pay for overweight bags. Then we went through security, and a woman came running after us. She started talking to us and I vaguely remember meeting her before but I couldn’t remember from where. As it turns out, she was sitting across from us on the bullet train that we took from Chongqing to Chengdu and she recognized mom because she saw her name on the banner at the hospital in Chengdu. She also said that we had seen her at the hospital in Chongqing but we didn’t remember that. What a small world in large China!
As we were about to leave our drivers, suddenly two very large bottles of the rice wine that we thought tasted a bit like chocolate appeared from the second driver’s car. There were each 500ml bottles and huge and we had to figure out in our already stuffed 6 bags, where to pack them!! It was such a nice gift as we really did like that alcohol and certainly a surprise to receive them at the airport. We still do not know who actually got them for us, but we are assuming either the President of the hospital or the Mayor.
We were flying Premium First class, which we have never flown before... business class was apparently sold out and so they bought mom and dad tickets in this class and then we were able to upgrade me from coach to the Premium Class. We checked all of our bags and still had to pay for overweight bags. Then we went through security, and a woman came running after us. She started talking to us and I vaguely remember meeting her before but I couldn’t remember from where. As it turns out, she was sitting across from us on the bullet train that we took from Chongqing to Chengdu and she recognized mom because she saw her name on the banner at the hospital in Chengdu. She also said that we had seen her at the hospital in Chongqing but we didn’t remember that. What a small world in large China!
We then boarded our flight and had a very comfortable 2 hour flight to Beijing. The seats were very nice and the food was okay. They had 6 choices of tea’s- very cool. Also, for the first time ever, there was a video camera on the bottom of the plane that we were able to watch the plane take off and land- it was very freaky, but really neat. I videoed both the take off and landing. When we arrived in Beijing, our luggage was the first to come off the plane and we got all 6 bags easily. Then we exited and saw our tour guide holding a sign that said Welcome. She greeted us with very good English and escorted us to the 15 passenger van that was waiting. YEAH! It took us about 40 minutes to get to our hotel and we were exhausted so we checked in and then went up to the two rooms to see which one mom and I wanted. When we decided which room we wanted we tried to take the elevator up a floor to our room, but we couldn’t figure out how to work the elevator. It was a special elevator that you needed to put your room card into the elevator and then press the button, but it wasn’t working. So after about 5 minutes of trying, we started laughing so hard and then we walked back down the hallway to the stairs and carried our bags up the stairs to the room. It was an exhausting day and it was almost 1am before we went to bed!
VIP's
April 14, 2011
This morning, after not sleeping very much at all last night (we think because of the green tea at dinner), we got quickly ready and on the way to meet our hosts downstairs we stopped on the 7th floor for a quick breakfast with some coffee… ahh, caffeine! We were escorted to a mini van outside and we got in and went to a Hospital to meet the president of the hospital and then take a tour around the buildings. It took about an hour and mom had a nice time talking with the doctors and seeing the very busy hospital.
Some of the doctors that are escorting us around Chengdu wanted to take us shopping down an old beautiful area and we went and walked around and bought some very nice paper cutout artworks. I think I’m starting to write in Chinglish- even though I don’t understand anything!
We then went to a lovely restaurant where we walked upstairs to a private alcove over looking a carp pond and bridge and the food was quite good for lunch.
We then went to a lovely restaurant where we walked upstairs to a private alcove over looking a carp pond and bridge and the food was quite good for lunch.
Then we prepared for mom’s lecture and had a little time off- I was able to take a bath, which was so nice!
We were picked up at 2pm to go to the hospital for mom’s lecture. There was a large welcome sign with mom’s and dad’s name on it in front of the hospital and signs around the building announcing their lectures (dad’s was yesterday and mom’s was today)- it was very cool. 
There were well over 100 people there- the room was packed and people were standing up in the back of the room out in the hallway! She did really well and was only a little anxious and nervous.
After she answered a few questions, she was out of time and then we were given a few gifts, a lot of photos were taken and then we were rushed to see dad’s new Peritoneal Dialysis center that is named after him! It was so cool. There are photos of him all over the area and a huge bio about him on the wall too. Such an honor.
Then we had to rush back to the hotel to change in 5 minutes for the formal dinner this evening though we were making a stop at the Relics Museum before dinner. We had no idea what the relics were before we went and it ended up being the most interesting thing we’ve seen! It is basically an archeological dig that began in 2001 and this whole museum and park opened just 3 years ago. The relics from this dig are from an ancient civilization between 4000-5000 years old. They were so advanced in their way of life, it was really neat to see.
We got there a little bit before they closed and we really wanted to see a few of the exhibit halls that they had already closed for the evening. So we went to two halls that were still open and then one of our translators (a nurse) that was with told the security guard that she was with 2 VIP professors from America and we really wanted to see the exhibits. They were absolutely lovely and they opened the exhibit halls back up for us- so we had a private tour of the whole museum. We also decided that the best time to go to any more touristy information place is right before they close. There was no one there. It was great!
Not too far from the museum was the restaurant (though it did not feel like a restaurant, more like a private home) that we were going to. We had to wear our nicest of clothes. The president of the hospital and many other hospital officials and doctors were in attendance. There was an abundance of food and especially different types of food- snake, frog, pig ear cartilage, tongue and other (I think) disgusting foods but there were also other good veggies and tofu. The round table was by the far the largest round table I have ever eaten at. There were many toasts, thank you’s and introductions. It was a very nice meal.
Now we are exhausted, and tomorrow is another big day as dad has to give a speech in front of some media and then we have a large luncheon with the Mayor before we fly to Beijing. Our trip is almost over and it’s actually sad. It’s certainly been a whirlwind, but a good one. We know dad will be back here in Chengdu and this I’m glad we saved this city for last. It is by far the nicest, most modern, city we’ve been in.
A few more images for English enjoyment:
Thursday, April 14, 2011
One lecture down
Currently, we are sitting on the bullet train from Chongqing to Chengdu, going from the mountain area to more of a plains area. I’ve been told its like going from Western Wyoming to Eastern Wyoming and Nebraska.
I did not sleep very well on the cot they put into our room as it was a folding cot and every time I moved the top and the bottom of the bed raised up. Not a very comfortable sleep. Mom on the other hand slept like a baby through the whole night. Around 9:25am, a nice car came to pick us up at the hotel and we were driven not even 5 minutes away to the Chongqing Children’s Hospital where we were let off on the basement level and had to find our way with our guide/translator/doctor from NY (all the same person) up to the correct floor and then we had to walk to an entirely different hospital building outside and up another elevator to the correct floor. When we finally made it, we were rushed down the hallway to a classroom where about 20 people were sitting, waiting patiently for mom’s lecture. We were a bit late (as the lecture was scheduled to start at 9:30am), but not our fault that we were late…. We rushed in and mom immediately put her thumb drive into their computer and transferred her power point. Both mom and dad have learned that they have to save all of their power points as 2003 versions because no one has any newer version of Office. She prepared herself, got out all of her notes and starting talking. She did very well. She talked for about an hour with a few stops for translations, though everyone seemed to understand enough English to get by a little. She then answered many questions and then we were done.
We got a quick tour of the very busy hospital and then were escorted to the President’s (head of the hospital) Office where we sat in her office and talked for a little while and then of course, took a group photo. Because we were running late on time, we had lunch where the staff has lunch in the hospital in a private room rather than the other place we were planning on going to. The food was okay.
Escorted by the president’s assistant and our guide, we were taken back to the hotel in a large car to get our luggage and then we did a little sight seeing. We were given some information about Chongqing and on the paper it said we would see “An old ropeway which local people used to cross the river, still in use today.” Well both mom and I thought it was an old walking bridge or swinging bridge and would be really neat to see. When we got there- in the middle of the city next to the river, it was just an old tram that crossed the river!! We were very surprised, but as with everything on this trip, not too shocked with the English translation.
We then went to see a cave, with a waterfall right in the middle of the city. This city was built in the mountains and so the buildings are built into the hillside. We did some shopping in this area too and bought some nice gifts. It was one of the calmest places we’ve been to look at nice Chinese things.
At 3pm, we headed to the train station. Our guide and the assistant went into the station to see if they could find some people to help us with our luggage and they came back to the parking lot where we were waiting in the car with two guys and a little trolley. They took all three bags, plus our guide’s bag and the assistant went with them to a different section of the station and we had to go through another entrance. We entered and the woman looked at our tickets and then as we were about to put our luggage on the scanners, our guide told us to stand back in the corner. We had no idea why and then some man started yelling at the ticket woman and our guide went over and started yelling back. She then informed us that we couldn’t enter yet because it wasn’t time for our train and that is why the man was yelling because if she let us in then he wanted to be let in. Wow. They’re like babies. So we waited for a few minutes just inside on the side and then she said we could enter. So we went through security and waited in a completely packed area for the train to arrive.
A few minutes before the train left, we were allowed onto the track and we found our car, boarded and all of our luggage was neatly placed near our seats. It was very nice of the assistant and the other helpers to do this for us. We got settled on the train- though mom and I were facing backwards- had a nice 2 hour ride to Chengdu.
We were greeted by six people who helped us with all of our luggage up and down lots of stairs and then finally into 2 large cars and then we were taken to a beautiful, 5 star hotel in downtown Chengdu. We went up to our room and had just a few minutes to quickly change into nicer clothes for a large dinner. Our room is a single again so I’m again sleeping on the floor.
Dinner this evening was at a wonderful restaurant with many Nephrologists who dad has been working with and then some Pediatricians and other doctors and nurses from the hospitals we are going to visit during our 2 days here. There was lots of food and so many different options. As with all of our meals, the lazy susan on the table starts with just a few dishes and by the end of the meal, the table is covered with different dishes, elaborate designs and piled on top of each other. It’s a fun experience. I didn’t really eat very much, but we did have a very good tomato soup and some spicy tofu that was delicious. This food is Sichuan style food, so it is very spicy and much better than any other food we’ve had. I also still do not understand why many of the rooms we eat in has a television on in the background- it makes no sense to me!
After dinner was finished, we walked back to the hotel and came up to the 28th floor to our room. The honking is still occurring all the time too and even this high up, we hear everything. My phone again stopped working this evening and I had to spend another half an hour on the phone with Verizon fixing it… what a huge PITA!!!
The next few days are going to be extraordinarily hectic with things we have planned for us, dinner’s and lunch’s with the Mayor of the area and some sightseeing. I will try my best to keep up, but the posting may be a bit delayed.
I did not sleep very well on the cot they put into our room as it was a folding cot and every time I moved the top and the bottom of the bed raised up. Not a very comfortable sleep. Mom on the other hand slept like a baby through the whole night. Around 9:25am, a nice car came to pick us up at the hotel and we were driven not even 5 minutes away to the Chongqing Children’s Hospital where we were let off on the basement level and had to find our way with our guide/translator/doctor from NY (all the same person) up to the correct floor and then we had to walk to an entirely different hospital building outside and up another elevator to the correct floor. When we finally made it, we were rushed down the hallway to a classroom where about 20 people were sitting, waiting patiently for mom’s lecture. We were a bit late (as the lecture was scheduled to start at 9:30am), but not our fault that we were late…. We rushed in and mom immediately put her thumb drive into their computer and transferred her power point. Both mom and dad have learned that they have to save all of their power points as 2003 versions because no one has any newer version of Office. She prepared herself, got out all of her notes and starting talking. She did very well. She talked for about an hour with a few stops for translations, though everyone seemed to understand enough English to get by a little. She then answered many questions and then we were done.
The next few days are going to be extraordinarily hectic with things we have planned for us, dinner’s and lunch’s with the Mayor of the area and some sightseeing. I will try my best to keep up, but the posting may be a bit delayed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)