I had an AWESOME time in Saskatoon. It was great seeing everyone. Here are some pics that I took. I hope everyone has a great year. See you again soon. xoxo
August 13, 2008
July 29, 2008
Beijing, China
Day 1: Monday, June 16th
Amanda and I landed in China. We had someone picking us up at the airport to take us to the Far East Youth Hotel. The man picking us up couldn’t believe how many bags we had. We sure weren’t traveling light. The road leading to our hotel was definitely under construction. They were pouring cement, digging holes etc. But the hotel itself was very nice. They spoke English and were very friendly and helpful. We booked our tours here because we realized with the lack of English we weren’t going to get very far. We decided to take the subway right away. It was fast, easy to use and cheap!
We decided to go shopping to Silk Alley and to the Olympic Gardens. We got on the subway…and might have gotten off 1 stop to early. Oops so we had to get a taxi to take us the rest of the way. Hmm nobody could speak English finally I found a young girl who thought she new the Olympic Gardens, so we trusted her. We ended up at the Birds nest Stadium. (Close enough..it was something to do with the Olympics!)
We walked around this area for a bit and saw where the Olympic flame would be and then decided it was time to go shopping. Taxi #2…no English. Okay..we showed the man where we wanted to go in Chinese words but he didn’t understand. (most only know Chinese symbols I guess). He stopped a car driving by who happened to have a man speak English who told him where we wanted to go.
We arrived at Silk Alley Market and went shopping. Everyone was yelling at you to come in their shop, buy from them etc. They started with really really high prices and you felt bad when you said a price. They often felt insulted…even though it was a good deal. They knew which strings to pull in order to make you feel bad. They were making lots of $$ off us tourists. I learned this trip to be strong, and firm with my prices. Don’t settle for theirs…even though its hard to walk out of a store when you want something. If they didn’t call you back then you knew you had to go a tad bit higher with your price.
The first Chinese meal we ate was really good. It was sweet and sour chicken and stir fried veggies. Oh and of course beer and sprite! Finally we took the subway back home and didn’t get lost!
Day 2: Tuesday, June 17th
Today we woke up bright and early for our tour of the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. There was only 1 other girl joining us on this tour. How nice, it was almost a private tour!
Our first stop was at a Jade Factory. Our tour guide said that if we said we were from US we only had to stay 45minutes! If we from somewhere else we had to stay longer! Weird, but ok. We watched how to carve Jade. The coolest part was learning that the Olympic Games Medals were going to be made of Jade.
The next factory we went to was a metal handicraft store. We watched women paint vases and how they are made. I bought a bracelet here hoping that I wouldn’t see it somewhere else that was cheaper. (and I didn’t, so I am glad that I bought it).
Finally we were going to eat. I was very hungry. The first dish they put on our table was not very appetizing and I was worried that I was not going to have enough energy to climb the great wall, but luckily more food was on the way. We had a few dishes of meat and veggies. It was very tasty.
Then we were off to the Ming Tombs. Our tour guide explained how 13 of the 15 Ming Emperors were buried here with their wives and favorite concubines. He also explained to us how the animals on the corners of the building roofs signify the importance of the building in those times. There is a specific order to the animals, number 1 being the dragon, number 2 being the lion, and 3 through whatever, I can't remember. Each animal signifies something about the Emperor, so the dragon signified his power and the lion signified his justice and integrity. The tomb we visited had a maximum number of 7 animals, but most buildings had between 3 and 5. We also learned that there was only one building in all of China that has 11 animals - this is a building within the Forbidden City. We walked up a pathway in which men had to use their left foot first (through the door) and women have to use their right foot first. Basically it was Chinese superstition that if you didn't enter and exit the right way you would stay in the dimension of the tombs (death/underworld.) The reason the Ming tombs were built is that a Ming Emperor lost his wife early in his reign and so because of that she could not be buried in the normal Royal burial place so he asked the scribes and temple priests where he should bury her that would have the best fung shui and their answer was in this vast valley surrounded by mountains, which I must say is incredibly beautiful. Subsequently, it became the new royal burial place for the next 15 Emperors, but two of them were not buried here - one went MIA after a battle and the other they believe ran off to become a monk, never to be seen again. Anyways, on our way out we passed through the same door and had to say three specific words in Chinese Wo hui lai le. Loosely translated means "I’m backing out", which was to signify the end of our visit to the tomb and the realm of the underworld.
It was finally time to go to the Great Wall. They say He who does not reach the great wall is not a true man. We went to the Juyongguan Section of the Wall. There was 2 parts you could climb. The steep or not so steep part. We climbed the steep one. Our tour guide said he could climb it in 2 hours, so that was my goal. We climbed to the top of the wall in 1.5 hours…and it took 30 minutes to climb down. At times I wasn’t sure I could make it. I was definitely out of shape and it was steep looking up. The higher you climbed the nicer the view. I was only a bit disappointed that the wall was rebuilt. It had hand railings, new pavement etc. To me this was NOT the Great Wall that I had pictured in my mind. Amanda and I both agreed that we needed to walk a different part of the wall as we had seen pictures of broken rock pathways etc. So we decided that when we got back to the hotel we would go on another tour.
Thoroughly exhausted, we figured we were on our way home. No such luck. Our next stop was the government run tea house. We had no say in the matter, but fortunately it turned out to be a pretty cool stop. They sat us down in a special room for a tea-tasting - similar to a wine tasting, and we tried 4 different types of "super high quality" Chinese tea. They also had a “pee-pee” boy” to make sure that the water was hot. Pour water on the pee-pee boy and if he peed then the water is hot enough to use.
Next stop (surprise, one more stop), was the government run Silk Factory. We saw the lifespan of the silk worm and how they take its cocoon and stretch it to make silk products. The coolest thing they make there are the comforters, all of silk on the inside. They were extremely lightweight but very warm and soft. Apparently silk does not absorb water, so you can lay the comforter on water, take it out, and the other side will be completely dry. Pretty neat. The way to clean it is just to leave it outside in the sun and let the air breathe through it - kind of like "sun cleaning".
Our guide asked us if we wanted to go to a Kung Fu Show. Why yes I did! So instead of dropping us off at the hotel he dropped us off at the show. We had some time before the show and we were hungry so we walked around the block and found a small restaurant. Our waitress couldn’t speak English so I looked at the table beside us and pointed and said 1, 1 and that’s what we had. It was okay. It looked better than it tasted. We hurried off to The Legend of KungFu. It was incredible. It was very theatrical and had a good story line. Afterwards we walked to the nearest subway station and went back to the hotel. It had been a LONG day!
Amanda and I landed in China. We had someone picking us up at the airport to take us to the Far East Youth Hotel. The man picking us up couldn’t believe how many bags we had. We sure weren’t traveling light. The road leading to our hotel was definitely under construction. They were pouring cement, digging holes etc. But the hotel itself was very nice. They spoke English and were very friendly and helpful. We booked our tours here because we realized with the lack of English we weren’t going to get very far. We decided to take the subway right away. It was fast, easy to use and cheap!
We decided to go shopping to Silk Alley and to the Olympic Gardens. We got on the subway…and might have gotten off 1 stop to early. Oops so we had to get a taxi to take us the rest of the way. Hmm nobody could speak English finally I found a young girl who thought she new the Olympic Gardens, so we trusted her. We ended up at the Birds nest Stadium. (Close enough..it was something to do with the Olympics!)
We walked around this area for a bit and saw where the Olympic flame would be and then decided it was time to go shopping. Taxi #2…no English. Okay..we showed the man where we wanted to go in Chinese words but he didn’t understand. (most only know Chinese symbols I guess). He stopped a car driving by who happened to have a man speak English who told him where we wanted to go.We arrived at Silk Alley Market and went shopping. Everyone was yelling at you to come in their shop, buy from them etc. They started with really really high prices and you felt bad when you said a price. They often felt insulted…even though it was a good deal. They knew which strings to pull in order to make you feel bad. They were making lots of $$ off us tourists. I learned this trip to be strong, and firm with my prices. Don’t settle for theirs…even though its hard to walk out of a store when you want something. If they didn’t call you back then you knew you had to go a tad bit higher with your price.
The first Chinese meal we ate was really good. It was sweet and sour chicken and stir fried veggies. Oh and of course beer and sprite! Finally we took the subway back home and didn’t get lost!
Day 2: Tuesday, June 17th
Today we woke up bright and early for our tour of the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. There was only 1 other girl joining us on this tour. How nice, it was almost a private tour!
Our first stop was at a Jade Factory. Our tour guide said that if we said we were from US we only had to stay 45minutes! If we from somewhere else we had to stay longer! Weird, but ok. We watched how to carve Jade. The coolest part was learning that the Olympic Games Medals were going to be made of Jade.
The next factory we went to was a metal handicraft store. We watched women paint vases and how they are made. I bought a bracelet here hoping that I wouldn’t see it somewhere else that was cheaper. (and I didn’t, so I am glad that I bought it).
Finally we were going to eat. I was very hungry. The first dish they put on our table was not very appetizing and I was worried that I was not going to have enough energy to climb the great wall, but luckily more food was on the way. We had a few dishes of meat and veggies. It was very tasty.
Then we were off to the Ming Tombs. Our tour guide explained how 13 of the 15 Ming Emperors were buried here with their wives and favorite concubines. He also explained to us how the animals on the corners of the building roofs signify the importance of the building in those times. There is a specific order to the animals, number 1 being the dragon, number 2 being the lion, and 3 through whatever, I can't remember. Each animal signifies something about the Emperor, so the dragon signified his power and the lion signified his justice and integrity. The tomb we visited had a maximum number of 7 animals, but most buildings had between 3 and 5. We also learned that there was only one building in all of China that has 11 animals - this is a building within the Forbidden City. We walked up a pathway in which men had to use their left foot first (through the door) and women have to use their right foot first. Basically it was Chinese superstition that if you didn't enter and exit the right way you would stay in the dimension of the tombs (death/underworld.) The reason the Ming tombs were built is that a Ming Emperor lost his wife early in his reign and so because of that she could not be buried in the normal Royal burial place so he asked the scribes and temple priests where he should bury her that would have the best fung shui and their answer was in this vast valley surrounded by mountains, which I must say is incredibly beautiful. Subsequently, it became the new royal burial place for the next 15 Emperors, but two of them were not buried here - one went MIA after a battle and the other they believe ran off to become a monk, never to be seen again. Anyways, on our way out we passed through the same door and had to say three specific words in Chinese Wo hui lai le. Loosely translated means "I’m backing out", which was to signify the end of our visit to the tomb and the realm of the underworld.
It was finally time to go to the Great Wall. They say He who does not reach the great wall is not a true man. We went to the Juyongguan Section of the Wall. There was 2 parts you could climb. The steep or not so steep part. We climbed the steep one. Our tour guide said he could climb it in 2 hours, so that was my goal. We climbed to the top of the wall in 1.5 hours…and it took 30 minutes to climb down. At times I wasn’t sure I could make it. I was definitely out of shape and it was steep looking up. The higher you climbed the nicer the view. I was only a bit disappointed that the wall was rebuilt. It had hand railings, new pavement etc. To me this was NOT the Great Wall that I had pictured in my mind. Amanda and I both agreed that we needed to walk a different part of the wall as we had seen pictures of broken rock pathways etc. So we decided that when we got back to the hotel we would go on another tour.
Thoroughly exhausted, we figured we were on our way home. No such luck. Our next stop was the government run tea house. We had no say in the matter, but fortunately it turned out to be a pretty cool stop. They sat us down in a special room for a tea-tasting - similar to a wine tasting, and we tried 4 different types of "super high quality" Chinese tea. They also had a “pee-pee” boy” to make sure that the water was hot. Pour water on the pee-pee boy and if he peed then the water is hot enough to use.
Next stop (surprise, one more stop), was the government run Silk Factory. We saw the lifespan of the silk worm and how they take its cocoon and stretch it to make silk products. The coolest thing they make there are the comforters, all of silk on the inside. They were extremely lightweight but very warm and soft. Apparently silk does not absorb water, so you can lay the comforter on water, take it out, and the other side will be completely dry. Pretty neat. The way to clean it is just to leave it outside in the sun and let the air breathe through it - kind of like "sun cleaning".
Our guide asked us if we wanted to go to a Kung Fu Show. Why yes I did! So instead of dropping us off at the hotel he dropped us off at the show. We had some time before the show and we were hungry so we walked around the block and found a small restaurant. Our waitress couldn’t speak English so I looked at the table beside us and pointed and said 1, 1 and that’s what we had. It was okay. It looked better than it tasted. We hurried off to The Legend of KungFu. It was incredible. It was very theatrical and had a good story line. Afterwards we walked to the nearest subway station and went back to the hotel. It had been a LONG day!
Day 3: Wednesday, June 18th
We decided to not go on a tour today. We found out our hotel was close enough to Tiananmen square to walk to. (bad idea..I was quite sore from climbing the great wall, I thought my legs were going to fall off!...but I made it and only complained a bit!)
Tiananmen square is the large plaze near the center of Beijing. We saw the Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. We knew there was a flag raising ceremony but we didn’t get to see it. .
We walked across the street to take our picture beside the Olympic Countdown sign.
Tiananmen square is the large plaze near the center of Beijing. We saw the Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. We knew there was a flag raising ceremony but we didn’t get to see it. .
We walked across the street to take our picture beside the Olympic Countdown sign.
.jpg)
Then went to the Forbidden City and bought electronic guides that would tell us more about the City. For your information: The Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow. I saw the largest stone carving, sat near the loyal love tree "The brank-interlocked cypresses symbolize loyal love.Next on our list to do was The Temple of Heaven. This is a series of areas that were used by the emperors to pray for good harvest and such. The buildings include the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, Imperial Vault of Heaven and Circular Mound Altar.
The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest stands on a round foundation built with three levels of marble stones. It is a cone-shaped glaze-tile roof that is blue. As we walked we came to the Echo Wall. You could communicate with someone further along the wall if it was quiet enough. Amanda and I stood on the center of a round stone called the Center of Heaven Stone. They say it echoes when a visitor speaks loudly when standing on the stone.
We were hungry and decided to eat at the first place we saw. To our surprise it was Hot Pot. This is where they give you a pot of hot water that continues to boil. You put in several meats and veggies to cook and use chop sticks to eat from it. The cooked food is usually eaten with dipping sauces. It was our favorite meal!
We were sore from walking but both of us still wanted to see the Summer Palace. We jumped in a taxi who could speak fairly good English and he took us there. It was a long drive from the Temple of Heaven. When we got there it was getting late so we were unable to buy the see everything pass. We went in and could see the water and the palace, gardens etc. We went back to the hotel and checked our e-mail to see that Amanda’s cousin who is teaching in Beijing was able to meet us. We also signed up for the 10km tour of the Great Wall….however Krista is bad at math and didn’t realize that 10km was far. Oops.
I was still on the look out for the hat my dad requested and Amanda took us on a long route to the store…I was not happy because my legs really did hurt from all the walking. Finally we realized there was no Olympic store and jumped in a taxi to take us to a shopping center where we met Jon (Amanda’s cousin), his friends Lindsay and Simon who were also teaching in Beijing. We went out for Pizza and Beer and had a great time.
Day 4: Thursday, June 19th
We started at the JinShanLing Great Wall and Ended at the Simatai Great Wall. There were 7 of us total in the tour. All guys and 1 other girl. We were scared that we were going to be too sore to finish the hike. When we got there Amanda and I cheated and took the Gondola ride to the top…that cut off 4 castles out of 30 and also a head start!
.JPG)
The wall was exactly what I pictured…old, and falling apart. The view was absolutely breath taking. I loved being able to see the wall go on forever. Both Amanda and I had a little lady each follow us and in their broken English told us to watch our step. We couldn’t tell them we didn’t need help, so after 2 hours of fanning us along the way we went our separate ways. I bought the fan that kept me cool in the hottest day that we had so far on the trip. The 5 others caught up to us…I like to think it was because Amanda and I stopped to take lots of pictures…not that we were slow. We hiked the rest of the wall together as a group. It was really fun and my legs didn’t hurt at all!! At the end of the wall you could either walk to the van or take the zip line…I wanted to walk..but nobody else did so I was peer pressured into taking the zip lin across the water to our van. I was scared at first but at the end wanted to do it all over again!!
We texted Lindsay on our way back to the hotel to see if she wanted to come to the Opera with us. Lindsay met us at our hotel and a group of us went to the Opera. We sat and drank tea and some nuts. The Opera was good except they didn’t translate it into English for us, they wanted us to buy the headsets and I refused, so I didn’t understand the whole story line. Lindsay knew lots of Chinese and translated for us. Which was nice.
After the show we called Jon and he met us at his favorite place to eat. Meat on a stick and Beer. It was pretty good. Amanda and I stayed the night at Jon’s and convinced Lindsay to take the day off of school to go shopping with us.
Day 5: Friday, June 20th
We woke up and took a taxi to Linsday’s apartment because we didn’t feel like walking. (it wasn’t that far). Then she took us to a place where she shops often and knows who to buy from. We bought lots of mac makeup for cheap, knock off purses, shoes, jeans, shirts etc. We bought lots! We only had so much time because we had to catch our flight in the afternoon. Lindsay was the perfect person to take us shopping because she could barter in Chinese and say I thought we were friends. Friends wouldn’t give me tourist prices. I am not a tourist. Etc. She was awesome. Our flight to X’ian was delayed due to rain. When we got to X’ian we went to sleep as we had a long day ahead of us.
X'ian, China
Day 6: Saturday, June 21st
Ruth our tour guide picked us up and took us to McDonalds for breakfast as we had requested. Then we went to see The Terracotta Warriors. First we stopped at the factory to see how the Terracotta Figures were made. Then went to the pits where they are being excavated. The terracotta figures were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an. The figures vary in height (184–197cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. We went in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits..JPG)
For lunch Ruth took us to a fancy Cantonese Restauarnt. We went into our private room and had bacon wrapped around asparagus in a bbq sauce and a fried rice dish. It was excellent. Another one of our favorite meals.
Then she took us to Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Pagoda is said to be named by the Monk who brought the scriptures from India. He traveled far and was hungry. A big, wild goose flew down to his feet. At first, he thought it was a gift of food (even though meat was forbidden), but soon discovered it was Buddha in another form, coming to encourage him to continue his journey.
Afterwards we went for a walk in the park and watched people exercise, play card games and just relax. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Finally Ruth took us to the Tang-Dynasty Palace and Music Dances. Included were dumplings for supper. The dumplings were delicious, but just too many to eat at one place setting. The show was spectacular. The dresses and set designs were very detailed.
Day 7: Sunday, June 22nd
In the morning, we went to McDonalds for breakfast near the Bell Tower. It was raining so it was not a nice day out. We walked through the markets until it was time to catch a taxi to go to the airport. Flights were delayed a bit due to the rain again. Once in Hong Kong we needed to get a driver to take us to our hotel. It was the only one we didn’t have someone picking us up at the airport. We had too many bags to go on the bus or subway. We shared a van with a guy who frequently visited Hong Kong. Our van dropped us off at Nathan Road which was a very busy street filled with lots of shopping. We dropped off our suitcases and went to KFC for supper.
Ruth our tour guide picked us up and took us to McDonalds for breakfast as we had requested. Then we went to see The Terracotta Warriors. First we stopped at the factory to see how the Terracotta Figures were made. Then went to the pits where they are being excavated. The terracotta figures were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an. The figures vary in height (184–197cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. We went in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.
For lunch Ruth took us to a fancy Cantonese Restauarnt. We went into our private room and had bacon wrapped around asparagus in a bbq sauce and a fried rice dish. It was excellent. Another one of our favorite meals.
Then she took us to Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Pagoda is said to be named by the Monk who brought the scriptures from India. He traveled far and was hungry. A big, wild goose flew down to his feet. At first, he thought it was a gift of food (even though meat was forbidden), but soon discovered it was Buddha in another form, coming to encourage him to continue his journey.
Afterwards we went for a walk in the park and watched people exercise, play card games and just relax. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Finally Ruth took us to the Tang-Dynasty Palace and Music Dances. Included were dumplings for supper. The dumplings were delicious, but just too many to eat at one place setting. The show was spectacular. The dresses and set designs were very detailed.
Day 7: Sunday, June 22nd
In the morning, we went to McDonalds for breakfast near the Bell Tower. It was raining so it was not a nice day out. We walked through the markets until it was time to catch a taxi to go to the airport. Flights were delayed a bit due to the rain again. Once in Hong Kong we needed to get a driver to take us to our hotel. It was the only one we didn’t have someone picking us up at the airport. We had too many bags to go on the bus or subway. We shared a van with a guy who frequently visited Hong Kong. Our van dropped us off at Nathan Road which was a very busy street filled with lots of shopping. We dropped off our suitcases and went to KFC for supper.
Hong Kong
Day 8: Monday, June 23rd
When we woke up we went to McDonalds for breakfast and then walked along the harbor to the information booth. We planned out what we wanted to do in Hong Kong while we were there. First stop was Ocean Park. We took the subway part way and a bus the rest of the way there. Ocean Park was lots of fun. It was an amusement Park. Our first stop was the Panda Habitat. We got to see Panda’s!!! Then we went on the Bungee Trampoline and the Sky Star. The Sky Star was a big balloon that lifted you in the air to see the view of Ocean Park and Hong Kong. Then we went to Whiskers Theatre and watched the Sea Lions performance. Then we had to wait in a long line up to go to the other side of the park by cable car. When we got there we went on the pacific chandler that lifted us into the sky to see the view again. Then we ate pizza for lunch. We followed the walk way which led us to the Sea Jelly Spectacular. There were tons of jelly fish of all different colors and sizes to see. Then we went to the Shark Aquarium. We came just in time for the shark feeding! Next, we went to the Atoll Reef. It made Amanda think of her trip to the Maldives. Our last stop was the Ocean Theatre where we watched the dolphins perform. At night we decided to go to the Avenue of the Stars. Here I got to put my hand in Jackie Chann’s handprint. We also watched the city of lights. All the skyscrapers were lit up in different colors and blinked on and off and in different angles. It was very cool. For supper we went to TGIF. Overall it was a fantastic day!
Day 9: Tuesday, June 24th
To start the morning off we went to McDonalds for Breakfast. Then we went to The Peak Tower to see the view of Hong Kong. To get there we needed to take the ferry to the island. We met a nice couple on the bus who introduced us to octopus cards. They were cards you could put money on and swipe wherever you went. You didn’t need to keep money on you. It was very handy! Next on the agenda was Stanley Market. It was nice to not have people grabbing and yelling at you to buy something. Most had price tags, but you could still barter a little. For supper we went to The Hard Rock Café. Afterwards we went to the Ladies Market and the Night Market. It wasn’t easy to find when someone was reading the map wrong. (Cough Amanda). Back at the hotel our hotel put up a sign that said a level 3 typhoon was hoisted. Yikes.
Day 10: Wednesday, June 25th
In the morning we woke up and it was raining very hard. The sign said level 8 typhoon hoisted. Stay indoors. I was devastated. I wanted to go to Hong Kong Disneyland. We still braved the outdoors and went to McDonalds for Breakfast..again. mmm I’m Lovin It! We stayed on the computers in our hotel until after lunch the rain was only drizzling so we jumped on the subway and headed to Disneyland! It to my surprise was open…not all of the rides but the indoor ones. I was very excited. One of my favorite rides Space Mountain was open so we went on that a few times. We didn’t have to stand in any line ups to get pictures with the Disney characters. We went on a Winnie the Pooh Ride, A Small World, Toy Story ride etc. We went to The Lion King Show, and Mickey Awards. I had a great day. I am glad we went even though it was a terrible day out. For supper we went to the Spaghetti factory and called it a night. We had to leave the next day for Shanghai and hoped that flights would not be delayed.
Day 11: Thursday, June 26th
We packed our bags and of course went to McDonalds. We lugged our bags across the street and took the bus to the airport. Amanda was happy to be going to Shanghai to see her parents who teach there and her sister who was visiting them. Amanda’s mom had made us supper. Nice to have a home cooked meal for once. That night we went out to ½ Price Margarita Bar. It was very classy and the drinks were good.
When we woke up we went to McDonalds for breakfast and then walked along the harbor to the information booth. We planned out what we wanted to do in Hong Kong while we were there. First stop was Ocean Park. We took the subway part way and a bus the rest of the way there. Ocean Park was lots of fun. It was an amusement Park. Our first stop was the Panda Habitat. We got to see Panda’s!!! Then we went on the Bungee Trampoline and the Sky Star. The Sky Star was a big balloon that lifted you in the air to see the view of Ocean Park and Hong Kong. Then we went to Whiskers Theatre and watched the Sea Lions performance. Then we had to wait in a long line up to go to the other side of the park by cable car. When we got there we went on the pacific chandler that lifted us into the sky to see the view again. Then we ate pizza for lunch. We followed the walk way which led us to the Sea Jelly Spectacular. There were tons of jelly fish of all different colors and sizes to see. Then we went to the Shark Aquarium. We came just in time for the shark feeding! Next, we went to the Atoll Reef. It made Amanda think of her trip to the Maldives. Our last stop was the Ocean Theatre where we watched the dolphins perform. At night we decided to go to the Avenue of the Stars. Here I got to put my hand in Jackie Chann’s handprint. We also watched the city of lights. All the skyscrapers were lit up in different colors and blinked on and off and in different angles. It was very cool. For supper we went to TGIF. Overall it was a fantastic day!
Day 9: Tuesday, June 24th
To start the morning off we went to McDonalds for Breakfast. Then we went to The Peak Tower to see the view of Hong Kong. To get there we needed to take the ferry to the island. We met a nice couple on the bus who introduced us to octopus cards. They were cards you could put money on and swipe wherever you went. You didn’t need to keep money on you. It was very handy! Next on the agenda was Stanley Market. It was nice to not have people grabbing and yelling at you to buy something. Most had price tags, but you could still barter a little. For supper we went to The Hard Rock Café. Afterwards we went to the Ladies Market and the Night Market. It wasn’t easy to find when someone was reading the map wrong. (Cough Amanda). Back at the hotel our hotel put up a sign that said a level 3 typhoon was hoisted. Yikes.
Day 10: Wednesday, June 25th
In the morning we woke up and it was raining very hard. The sign said level 8 typhoon hoisted. Stay indoors. I was devastated. I wanted to go to Hong Kong Disneyland. We still braved the outdoors and went to McDonalds for Breakfast..again. mmm I’m Lovin It! We stayed on the computers in our hotel until after lunch the rain was only drizzling so we jumped on the subway and headed to Disneyland! It to my surprise was open…not all of the rides but the indoor ones. I was very excited. One of my favorite rides Space Mountain was open so we went on that a few times. We didn’t have to stand in any line ups to get pictures with the Disney characters. We went on a Winnie the Pooh Ride, A Small World, Toy Story ride etc. We went to The Lion King Show, and Mickey Awards. I had a great day. I am glad we went even though it was a terrible day out. For supper we went to the Spaghetti factory and called it a night. We had to leave the next day for Shanghai and hoped that flights would not be delayed.
Day 11: Thursday, June 26th
We packed our bags and of course went to McDonalds. We lugged our bags across the street and took the bus to the airport. Amanda was happy to be going to Shanghai to see her parents who teach there and her sister who was visiting them. Amanda’s mom had made us supper. Nice to have a home cooked meal for once. That night we went out to ½ Price Margarita Bar. It was very classy and the drinks were good.
Shanghai, China
Day 12: Friday, June 27th
We got up to the smell of quiche cooking in the oven for breakfast. We then walked to Starbucks and took a taxi to the Oriental Pearl Tower. Here we shopped for more stuff that we probably don’t need, but its still fun to do when it’s cheap! Then after school was finished Amanda’s mom took us to the tailor shop to get items of clothing made. I wanted to get a housecoat made but they didn’t have the material that I wanted. It started raining again so it took us a long time to get a taxi and get back to the apartments. We met Amanda’s dad and went out for Chinese food. It was excellent. I love sweat and sour chicken..its soo tasty!
Day 13: Saturday, June 28th
We took a taxi to the bus station because we were going to a water village. Here we walked around shopping in small stores. Then we went for a boat ride on the water around the village. It was a nice day. When we got back to Shanghai, Amanda’s mom introduced us to a Chinese boy and girl. The boy had found Perry’s wallet a year ago and they had become good friends. So we went out for supper with them for Hot Pot..JPG)
Yet again I love hot pot!!! Then we walked down Nanjing road and then saw the Bund. We took the bund Sightseeing tunnel. It was too late to go up the Bund but at least I got to see it.
Day 14: Sunday, June 29th
I flew back to Canada!!! At the Shanghai airport I met a nice guy named Sebastian who helped carry all my bags through the airport with me. His parents were visiting him and now it was his holidays too so they were all going back to the US. His parents fly lots so they took me into the first class lounge with them where we sat and drank beer and chatted. They were a really nice family. In Vancouver I found out that I could not come into Canada as a resident..only a visitor for 90 days. That’s what the lady told me at the customs counter after she stamped by card. Ekkks it scared me because I had bought way way way to much home in $$ and I was afraid I was going to be taxed. I picked up my bags and was still worrying as I watched many people being ushered into a room off to the side. I went to the farthest line and somehow joined a tour group that was late for their plane and they were being pushed. They grabbed my card and off I went. Lucky me that is all I could think. But I was still worried that in Canada something might happen…but all was good. All my bags arrived with mom and dad smiling to greet me as I came off the plane. It is nice to be home in Canada. I can’t wait to see you all!!!
We got up to the smell of quiche cooking in the oven for breakfast. We then walked to Starbucks and took a taxi to the Oriental Pearl Tower. Here we shopped for more stuff that we probably don’t need, but its still fun to do when it’s cheap! Then after school was finished Amanda’s mom took us to the tailor shop to get items of clothing made. I wanted to get a housecoat made but they didn’t have the material that I wanted. It started raining again so it took us a long time to get a taxi and get back to the apartments. We met Amanda’s dad and went out for Chinese food. It was excellent. I love sweat and sour chicken..its soo tasty!
Day 13: Saturday, June 28th
We took a taxi to the bus station because we were going to a water village. Here we walked around shopping in small stores. Then we went for a boat ride on the water around the village. It was a nice day. When we got back to Shanghai, Amanda’s mom introduced us to a Chinese boy and girl. The boy had found Perry’s wallet a year ago and they had become good friends. So we went out for supper with them for Hot Pot.
Yet again I love hot pot!!! Then we walked down Nanjing road and then saw the Bund. We took the bund Sightseeing tunnel. It was too late to go up the Bund but at least I got to see it.Day 14: Sunday, June 29th
I flew back to Canada!!! At the Shanghai airport I met a nice guy named Sebastian who helped carry all my bags through the airport with me. His parents were visiting him and now it was his holidays too so they were all going back to the US. His parents fly lots so they took me into the first class lounge with them where we sat and drank beer and chatted. They were a really nice family. In Vancouver I found out that I could not come into Canada as a resident..only a visitor for 90 days. That’s what the lady told me at the customs counter after she stamped by card. Ekkks it scared me because I had bought way way way to much home in $$ and I was afraid I was going to be taxed. I picked up my bags and was still worrying as I watched many people being ushered into a room off to the side. I went to the farthest line and somehow joined a tour group that was late for their plane and they were being pushed. They grabbed my card and off I went. Lucky me that is all I could think. But I was still worried that in Canada something might happen…but all was good. All my bags arrived with mom and dad smiling to greet me as I came off the plane. It is nice to be home in Canada. I can’t wait to see you all!!!
June 9, 2008
I have officially finished my first year of teaching. Whoo hoo!! I know that most of you have given up on my blog...and well I don't blame you. If you all joined facebook like my mom you would know what I am up to...sometimes my mom finds out more than she barganed for. She gave up on my blog along time ago when she realized I was always on facebook. I
guess for those of you that don't want to join facebook will have to wait until I get home to see the rest of my photos!
Here are a few photos ....I went to a 70-80's party....
I didn't get to go camping in the desert this year...so my friend Amanda and I decided to go camping in our building...ACA the hallway.
Oh and finally...my favorite picture. This was taken at a beach party that I went to 2 weeks ago!
guess for those of you that don't want to join facebook will have to wait until I get home to see the rest of my photos!
Here are a few photos ....I went to a 70-80's party....
I didn't get to go camping in the desert this year...so my friend Amanda and I decided to go camping in our building...ACA the hallway.
Oh and finally...my favorite picture. This was taken at a beach party that I went to 2 weeks ago! 
I will be home on June 29th!! See you all very soon.
Love,
Love,
Krista
April 15, 2008
India
Day 1: Thursday, April 3rd – Flew to Dehli, India and arrived late at night. It was the worst flight I have ever taken. We flew through a thunderstorm. The plane was dropping levels in the sky and I felt like we were going down. Everyone around me was sleeping and I was having a major panic attack thinking I was going to die. I have never been as scared of flying as I was at that moment.
Finally we arrived and got all our bags. We had to call our hotel 2 times as we could not see our driver who was supposed to pick us up. All the Indians were staring at us four girls. We arrived at our hotel Prem Saagar which from the outside looked like a dive, but once inside was quite beautiful. We decided to get a good rest and wake up the next day around 10-11ish.
Day 2: Friday, April 4th – We woke up and booked a driver for our entire trip. Our hotel was very helpful in every way they could be. Throughout the whole trip they were calling our driver and checking up on us. It was very nice of them.
Ginette had a very sore throat and decided she needed to go to the hospital. Now this was an experience. It was a government hospital that we went to and it only took 45 minutes. She had tonsillitis. So she got her meds and we were on our way. We decided to have our driver give us the city tour of old and new Delhi. First stop was the Parliament House, Rashtrapti Bhavan, and India Gate. The India gate is a 42m high stone memorial arch that pays tribute to around 90,000 Indian army solders who died in WWI. At the India Gate Kristy was given Henna not by choice. The lady grabbed her arm and started giving it to her. The henna looked like a biker tattoo, we thought it was pretty funny. She wanted 200 rupees for it, so we gave her 10 and were on our way. Next stop was the National Museum. I have decided that being employed does not have as many benefits as being a student did in this country. The student teachers who had “student cards” only had to pay 1 rupee each to go see the museum and Kristy and I had to pay 300 rupees each. Unbelievable. Included we got to listen on headphones to all of the artifacts, so the museum was actually quite interesting. When we went to leave the museum we saw that a storm was brewing outside and then all of a sudden a down pour of rain occurred. I thought to myself, oh dear Krista you didn’t bring any pants on this trip…what were you thinking. Our driver took us to an Indian Restaurant where we ordered a variety of dishes to share. Most dishes had a spicy taste to them which I was not a fan of…but the meat was delicious and so was the garlic naan bread. I love Naan Bread. Next our driver took us to Gandhi Samdhi which is a sacred place that people come from all over the world come to see. He was the father of the nation. Here there were so many Indians that wanted pictures with us. Felt like a celebrity. Then our driver insisted on taking us to a carpet emporium (where all the prices are high and he gets a commission of course). By this time we decided it was time to head back to the hotel…In the car we decided that the meal was good, and we ate all we could, but we were still hungry. So we dropped off our bags and went to McDonalds which was located right next door to our hotel.
FYI: The cow in India is sacred…No eating BEEF! Eeeks. All I wanted was a cheeseburger so I had to settle for a McChicken instead which was also very tasty. Then we all went back to our rooms and went to sleep as we had to get up early.
Day 3: Saturday, April 5th – We started the day off by going to the Red Fort also known as the Lal Qila. We hired an English Tour Guide for 50 rupees each. This is a massive fort After we bought a few souvenirs (mostly earrings) and I did a lot of price checking of items that I was interested in purchasing.
Then we went to the Jama Masjid (a mosque) it is the largest in India. It was very nice and had a lovely view of the red fort from a distance. Afterwards we went for lunch, which was not good in my mind because it was very spicy. After lunch we went to Humayun’s Tomb. This building was beautiful and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal.
It was nearing the end of the day and we really wanted to go to an Indian Dance. We missed the beginning of the show but caught the end. Most of the dances were traditional folk dances. Their costumes were very elaborate. Back to the hotel to sleep as we were leaving very early the next morning to Agra which is about a 4 hour drive without stopping.
Day 4: Sunday, April 6th – Up early, we got in the van and started driving to Agra. Before leaving Dehli we saw an elephant walking down the street. So our driver stopped and we got out and decided to go for a ride. After 3 of the girls were on the elephant decided that was enough and left me behind...so when they came back I got an elephant ride down the streets of Dehli on my own!! We stopped for lunch at a tourist hut along side the road. I had garlic naan and it was terrible. I never thought you could make a bad batch of naan bread but let me tell you, you can. The cook took many garlic cloaves and chopped them into big pieces and put it in the naan bread instead of using a garlic press and melting it in butter like most places do. Sigh so I had garlic smelling out of my pores…I felt like I smelted like garlic ALL day!
On the way to Agra we saw a smaller replica of the Taj (we stopped to see it on the way home on April, 10th). When we arrived in Agra we drove around until we finally found a hotel that was only $30.00 a night. We quickly showered and picked up a guide and went to the parking lot for the Taj.
Here we got in a horse and buggy that took us to the main gate to enter the Taj. It was quite expensive to visit the Taj 750 rupees but worth every penny. The Taj is a monument built for love (if you didn’t know). It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The building is breath taking but you don’t appreciate it until you understand how it was built. It took 22 years to build the Taj out of marble. Each of the flowers are cut and shaped by hand. EVERY little piece, every petal and leaf. After the Taj we went to a factory and this is how I learned about how the Taj was built out of the marble. We shopped at a few emporiums and then went for supper at an Indian Restaurant. Before sitting down we checked and made sure they had beer! I wasn’t a big fan of the food, but ate it because I was extremely Hungary. From here we walked back to the hotel and continued drinking our wine and then headed down to the bar inside our hotel where we had a few more beverages. We knew it was going to be a 11-12 hour drive without stopping to Veranasi. So we went to bed as another early morning it was going to be.
Day 5: Monday, April 7th – On our way to Veranasi we stopped for lunch at a dirty building on the road. We thought if anyone got indianitis (diarrhea) we would get it from this spot so we all ordered fries and a Pepsi. The Pepsi bottle was disgusting so we disinfected it with antiseptic wipes. On the road again we stopped in Allahabad because I had read in the Lonely Planet book of India that this was where the two holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet, and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also.. As we drove we saw how each town was different from the others. Some were very poor and others were just poor. In the smaller towns there was little or no begging. Unlike in Delhi where everyone was begging for money and food. We reach Varanasi late at night and it was dark. Driving was very hard as most people ride in carts, walk or bike. We didn’t have a hotel booked so we were looking around and finally agreed to splurged on a nice hotel with a pool, massage place and complementary breakfast. We were very tired but forced ourselves to order room service. I had pasta and a beer and sprite!! Finally food that was good. Went to bed as we were leaving our hotel at 5:15 to catch the sunrise on the Ganges river.
Day 6: Tuesday, April 8th – Varanasi is the holy city in India. It is the place where Hindu pilgrims come to wash away a lifetime of sins in the Ganges or to cremate their loved ones. Jenn wasn’t feeling well (first to get Indianitis on the trip) so she was unable to come on the boat with us and went back to the hotel to sleep. As the sun was rising we saw the ghats. Ghats are used for bathing but there are also several ‘burning ghats’ where bodies are cremated in public. We lit a candle and placed it in the holy river. After the boat ride we saw more temples and then went back to the hotel for Jenn and breakfast. We had a quick nap and then headed off into the markets bartering for everything. We walked along the ganges and went to the burning spot and watched bodies being cremated. I can’t put into words how I felt at this moment. I was flooded with many emotions.
I am definitely tired of bartering and really like fixed prices it makes life so much easier. Then back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and of course I couldn’t resist getting an Indian oil massage. Then I had a different type of pasta for supper. We went back to the Ganges river for the ceremony. We got on a boat and watched the ceremony from the river. It was a spectacular event that occurs every night. Back to the hotel and went to bed as it was going to be another early morning drive back to Agra.
Day 7: Wednesday, April 9th – We drove back to Agra…only this time our driver took a wrong turn and we ended up being in the car for 16 hours. No tourist restaurant that was safe to eat in…so we ate junk food. Our driver called the same restaurant that we ate in when we were in Agra that stayed open for us. When we got to the restaurant we were tired and non of us liked it the first time we ate there so overall we were not happy. As our food came there was a big sound over in the corner and the waiter squealed but non of us knew why…we thought maybe it was a rodent but didn’t know for sure. Then after we ate our meal…I ordered fries and naan bread…and the other girls order chowmein which turned out the chicken was bad and the noodles weren’t cooked. As the bill arrived a big rat or mouse like rodent ran across the room. Kristy was furious and she stared yelling there is a rat in here. We are not paying…ect her voice sounded like Aunty Lil’s and so I was a bit distracted by the whole commotion and was surprised at how similar their voices sound. I also did see the rodent but wanted us still to pay, so we walked out and DID NOT pay. We gave this extra money to our driver as a tip at the end of the trip instead. We went straight to the same hotel that we stayed in for $30.00 a night again and went right to sleep getting up at 9:30am. A later start as our driver was getting tired. This was completely understandable. I couldn’t imagine driving for that long.
Day 8 – Thursday, April 10th - On the way home we stopped in Mathura this is the ‘Land of Eternal Love’ and the name given to the region where the popular god Krishna is believed to be born and spend his early years. We went to the Kesava Deo Temple which is a small, bare room with a slab of rock on which Krishna is said to have been born 3500 years ago. (like our Bethlehem) We saw many other temples here too, but didn’t go into all of them because we were tired of all the temples. They looked the same. We also saw the smaller replica of the taj which was quite beautiful as well.
Finally we reached Agra and went straight to the markets and shopped. We had supper at Pizza Hut which was yummie. We were all craving another good meal. We went back to the Prem Sagaar Hotel and had to leave for the airport at 3am.
Day 9 – Friday, April 11th – The flight home was great. Lots better than the flight to India. The meal was very good. Especially the omlette!!! It is nice to be back.
Finally we arrived and got all our bags. We had to call our hotel 2 times as we could not see our driver who was supposed to pick us up. All the Indians were staring at us four girls. We arrived at our hotel Prem Saagar which from the outside looked like a dive, but once inside was quite beautiful. We decided to get a good rest and wake up the next day around 10-11ish.
Day 2: Friday, April 4th – We woke up and booked a driver for our entire trip. Our hotel was very helpful in every way they could be. Throughout the whole trip they were calling our driver and checking up on us. It was very nice of them.
Ginette had a very sore throat and decided she needed to go to the hospital. Now this was an experience. It was a government hospital that we went to and it only took 45 minutes. She had tonsillitis. So she got her meds and we were on our way. We decided to have our driver give us the city tour of old and new Delhi. First stop was the Parliament House, Rashtrapti Bhavan, and India Gate. The India gate is a 42m high stone memorial arch that pays tribute to around 90,000 Indian army solders who died in WWI. At the India Gate Kristy was given Henna not by choice. The lady grabbed her arm and started giving it to her. The henna looked like a biker tattoo, we thought it was pretty funny. She wanted 200 rupees for it, so we gave her 10 and were on our way. Next stop was the National Museum. I have decided that being employed does not have as many benefits as being a student did in this country. The student teachers who had “student cards” only had to pay 1 rupee each to go see the museum and Kristy and I had to pay 300 rupees each. Unbelievable. Included we got to listen on headphones to all of the artifacts, so the museum was actually quite interesting. When we went to leave the museum we saw that a storm was brewing outside and then all of a sudden a down pour of rain occurred. I thought to myself, oh dear Krista you didn’t bring any pants on this trip…what were you thinking. Our driver took us to an Indian Restaurant where we ordered a variety of dishes to share. Most dishes had a spicy taste to them which I was not a fan of…but the meat was delicious and so was the garlic naan bread. I love Naan Bread. Next our driver took us to Gandhi Samdhi which is a sacred place that people come from all over the world come to see. He was the father of the nation. Here there were so many Indians that wanted pictures with us. Felt like a celebrity. Then our driver insisted on taking us to a carpet emporium (where all the prices are high and he gets a commission of course). By this time we decided it was time to head back to the hotel…In the car we decided that the meal was good, and we ate all we could, but we were still hungry. So we dropped off our bags and went to McDonalds which was located right next door to our hotel.
FYI: The cow in India is sacred…No eating BEEF! Eeeks. All I wanted was a cheeseburger so I had to settle for a McChicken instead which was also very tasty. Then we all went back to our rooms and went to sleep as we had to get up early.
Day 3: Saturday, April 5th – We started the day off by going to the Red Fort also known as the Lal Qila. We hired an English Tour Guide for 50 rupees each. This is a massive fort After we bought a few souvenirs (mostly earrings) and I did a lot of price checking of items that I was interested in purchasing.
Then we went to the Jama Masjid (a mosque) it is the largest in India. It was very nice and had a lovely view of the red fort from a distance. Afterwards we went for lunch, which was not good in my mind because it was very spicy. After lunch we went to Humayun’s Tomb. This building was beautiful and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal.
It was nearing the end of the day and we really wanted to go to an Indian Dance. We missed the beginning of the show but caught the end. Most of the dances were traditional folk dances. Their costumes were very elaborate. Back to the hotel to sleep as we were leaving very early the next morning to Agra which is about a 4 hour drive without stopping.
Day 4: Sunday, April 6th – Up early, we got in the van and started driving to Agra. Before leaving Dehli we saw an elephant walking down the street. So our driver stopped and we got out and decided to go for a ride. After 3 of the girls were on the elephant decided that was enough and left me behind...so when they came back I got an elephant ride down the streets of Dehli on my own!! We stopped for lunch at a tourist hut along side the road. I had garlic naan and it was terrible. I never thought you could make a bad batch of naan bread but let me tell you, you can. The cook took many garlic cloaves and chopped them into big pieces and put it in the naan bread instead of using a garlic press and melting it in butter like most places do. Sigh so I had garlic smelling out of my pores…I felt like I smelted like garlic ALL day!
On the way to Agra we saw a smaller replica of the Taj (we stopped to see it on the way home on April, 10th). When we arrived in Agra we drove around until we finally found a hotel that was only $30.00 a night. We quickly showered and picked up a guide and went to the parking lot for the Taj.
Here we got in a horse and buggy that took us to the main gate to enter the Taj. It was quite expensive to visit the Taj 750 rupees but worth every penny. The Taj is a monument built for love (if you didn’t know). It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The building is breath taking but you don’t appreciate it until you understand how it was built. It took 22 years to build the Taj out of marble. Each of the flowers are cut and shaped by hand. EVERY little piece, every petal and leaf. After the Taj we went to a factory and this is how I learned about how the Taj was built out of the marble. We shopped at a few emporiums and then went for supper at an Indian Restaurant. Before sitting down we checked and made sure they had beer! I wasn’t a big fan of the food, but ate it because I was extremely Hungary. From here we walked back to the hotel and continued drinking our wine and then headed down to the bar inside our hotel where we had a few more beverages. We knew it was going to be a 11-12 hour drive without stopping to Veranasi. So we went to bed as another early morning it was going to be.Day 5: Monday, April 7th – On our way to Veranasi we stopped for lunch at a dirty building on the road. We thought if anyone got indianitis (diarrhea) we would get it from this spot so we all ordered fries and a Pepsi. The Pepsi bottle was disgusting so we disinfected it with antiseptic wipes. On the road again we stopped in Allahabad because I had read in the Lonely Planet book of India that this was where the two holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet, and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also.. As we drove we saw how each town was different from the others. Some were very poor and others were just poor. In the smaller towns there was little or no begging. Unlike in Delhi where everyone was begging for money and food. We reach Varanasi late at night and it was dark. Driving was very hard as most people ride in carts, walk or bike. We didn’t have a hotel booked so we were looking around and finally agreed to splurged on a nice hotel with a pool, massage place and complementary breakfast. We were very tired but forced ourselves to order room service. I had pasta and a beer and sprite!! Finally food that was good. Went to bed as we were leaving our hotel at 5:15 to catch the sunrise on the Ganges river.
Day 6: Tuesday, April 8th – Varanasi is the holy city in India. It is the place where Hindu pilgrims come to wash away a lifetime of sins in the Ganges or to cremate their loved ones. Jenn wasn’t feeling well (first to get Indianitis on the trip) so she was unable to come on the boat with us and went back to the hotel to sleep. As the sun was rising we saw the ghats. Ghats are used for bathing but there are also several ‘burning ghats’ where bodies are cremated in public. We lit a candle and placed it in the holy river. After the boat ride we saw more temples and then went back to the hotel for Jenn and breakfast. We had a quick nap and then headed off into the markets bartering for everything. We walked along the ganges and went to the burning spot and watched bodies being cremated. I can’t put into words how I felt at this moment. I was flooded with many emotions.
I am definitely tired of bartering and really like fixed prices it makes life so much easier. Then back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and of course I couldn’t resist getting an Indian oil massage. Then I had a different type of pasta for supper. We went back to the Ganges river for the ceremony. We got on a boat and watched the ceremony from the river. It was a spectacular event that occurs every night. Back to the hotel and went to bed as it was going to be another early morning drive back to Agra.
Day 7: Wednesday, April 9th – We drove back to Agra…only this time our driver took a wrong turn and we ended up being in the car for 16 hours. No tourist restaurant that was safe to eat in…so we ate junk food. Our driver called the same restaurant that we ate in when we were in Agra that stayed open for us. When we got to the restaurant we were tired and non of us liked it the first time we ate there so overall we were not happy. As our food came there was a big sound over in the corner and the waiter squealed but non of us knew why…we thought maybe it was a rodent but didn’t know for sure. Then after we ate our meal…I ordered fries and naan bread…and the other girls order chowmein which turned out the chicken was bad and the noodles weren’t cooked. As the bill arrived a big rat or mouse like rodent ran across the room. Kristy was furious and she stared yelling there is a rat in here. We are not paying…ect her voice sounded like Aunty Lil’s and so I was a bit distracted by the whole commotion and was surprised at how similar their voices sound. I also did see the rodent but wanted us still to pay, so we walked out and DID NOT pay. We gave this extra money to our driver as a tip at the end of the trip instead. We went straight to the same hotel that we stayed in for $30.00 a night again and went right to sleep getting up at 9:30am. A later start as our driver was getting tired. This was completely understandable. I couldn’t imagine driving for that long.
Day 8 – Thursday, April 10th - On the way home we stopped in Mathura this is the ‘Land of Eternal Love’ and the name given to the region where the popular god Krishna is believed to be born and spend his early years. We went to the Kesava Deo Temple which is a small, bare room with a slab of rock on which Krishna is said to have been born 3500 years ago. (like our Bethlehem) We saw many other temples here too, but didn’t go into all of them because we were tired of all the temples. They looked the same. We also saw the smaller replica of the taj which was quite beautiful as well.
Finally we reached Agra and went straight to the markets and shopped. We had supper at Pizza Hut which was yummie. We were all craving another good meal. We went back to the Prem Sagaar Hotel and had to leave for the airport at 3am.
Day 9 – Friday, April 11th – The flight home was great. Lots better than the flight to India. The meal was very good. Especially the omlette!!! It is nice to be back.
April 11, 2008
Memory Loss
Okay so I kinda forgot about my blog...and now realized how far behind I am on the events going on in my life...and the worst part is it is crunch time here because it's report card week. Yikes so I don't know when I will update you on all of the following...I need to tell you about my birthday, Desert trip, soccer game, International Day, Going to Dubai, and of course my trip to India.
I will try my best to at least put up some pics...Hope all is well with everyone.
x0x0x
I will try my best to at least put up some pics...Hope all is well with everyone.
x0x0x
March 2, 2008
National and Liberation Day
Okay another update on my busy life here in Sandville.
About 2 weeks ago we had a sandstorm. I was at school getting ready to go on lunch duty when an announcement came on and said that visibility was low and that it was an indoor recess. Keep our classroom doors and windows closed. Then they went on to say they were contacting the appropriate authorities as to cancel school for the rest of the day and go home.
I thought to myself…”Are you serious? We are going to cancel school because of a dust storm…SWEET…nobody at home will believe this. Lol”
So I opened my door and it was a bit hazy in the hallway…then I continued all the way to the outside doors. When I opened the door all I saw was a light brown haze and no playground. Then I thought to myself “Wow this is my FIRST dust storm!...COOL”
Well needless to say school did not get cancelled….however we heard that school the next day might be…but unfortunately it did not happen. It was still dusty again and most girls came with the little white masks that you wear when you are cleaning out a grain bin…it was quite the sight to see.
On February 22 – 26 we had another holiday. I decided I should be responsible and save some money and check out Kuwait more. Everyone that didn’t stay in Kuwait went to Lebanon…but I was a bit leary as the US Embassy was recently bombed.
On Friday Feb. 23 I went to games night in my building with all the people who stayed in Kuwait..which was a fair number of us.
Then on Saturday. Feb. 24 I went to the Cinema. I wanted to see Dan the Man but it was sold out…so the only available flick was SILK. Let’s just say I did not have the best experience at the theatre. For one…there is nothing to do in Kuwait but go to the Cinema so it was packed..we had to sit in the “boy section” which is located right up at the screen (sore neck). Then in Kuwait its Haram (sin) to kiss…so all the scenes with any kissing etc were edited out. To make it worse there was lots edited out of our movie and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long…I can’t imagine how long it would be without editing. It was the WORST Movie I have ever seen. No plot, or story to it. Don’t see it. Trust me save your money.
After the movie the girls (Amanda, Kyla and Danielle) and I went to the Chocolate Bar…and tried to make ourselves feel better. Teehee Danielle’s friend Moe came by and invited us over to his apartment for drinks. So we agreed.
The next day, Sunday Feb. 25th I went to Faaheel with Danielle and Kyla. It was one of the first sunny hot days here in Kuwait that we’ve had in awhile. Didn’t buy anything but we sat and drank coffee near the water sprinklers. It was a nice atmosphere.
Then Monday, Feb. 26 (National Day) I wanted to go skating so Danielle, Jamie, Joe and I headed to the rink…which had no ice because they were setting up for a concert. Seriously I didn’t think my break could get any more bad luck. We went back to Jamie’s house and ate wings, chilled out and then went back to Faaheel because Jamie needed some new shoes. Back at my house we ordered Thai and watched the Oscar Awards. Then Moe was having another party so we went to it..but it was not fun.
Tuesday, Feb. 27 – Liberation Day …I had full intentions of getting up early and going to the Liberation Tower in Kuwait…but slept in. Sigh and that was the worst week I could possible have had this year. So next year I don’t think I want to stay in Kuwait for that long of break.
On February 21 we were supposed to celebrate National Day at school but because of the dust storm the Ministry of Education cancelled it. So we had it on February. 28th. This is when everyone in Kuwait dressed in the Kuwait flag colors..jpg)
Just a bit of history for you..as I am currently teaching the Kuwait Unit in S.S National Day is always celebrated on the 25th because it was when Kuwait became an independent country. On Feb. 26th Kuwait became free from the fighting with Iraq. At school it was a whole day of events. .jpg)
there was buffet lunch and shwarma! They also had blow ups as you can see..and I couldn't resist myself! lol.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
So right now I am cleaning my apartment…I am hosting a student teacher to live with me for the next 8 weeks…hopefully we get along because the living quarters are going to be tight.
Hope all is well. Miss everyone lots.
Love,Krista
About 2 weeks ago we had a sandstorm. I was at school getting ready to go on lunch duty when an announcement came on and said that visibility was low and that it was an indoor recess. Keep our classroom doors and windows closed. Then they went on to say they were contacting the appropriate authorities as to cancel school for the rest of the day and go home.
I thought to myself…”Are you serious? We are going to cancel school because of a dust storm…SWEET…nobody at home will believe this. Lol”
So I opened my door and it was a bit hazy in the hallway…then I continued all the way to the outside doors. When I opened the door all I saw was a light brown haze and no playground. Then I thought to myself “Wow this is my FIRST dust storm!...COOL”
Well needless to say school did not get cancelled….however we heard that school the next day might be…but unfortunately it did not happen. It was still dusty again and most girls came with the little white masks that you wear when you are cleaning out a grain bin…it was quite the sight to see.
On February 22 – 26 we had another holiday. I decided I should be responsible and save some money and check out Kuwait more. Everyone that didn’t stay in Kuwait went to Lebanon…but I was a bit leary as the US Embassy was recently bombed.
On Friday Feb. 23 I went to games night in my building with all the people who stayed in Kuwait..which was a fair number of us.
Then on Saturday. Feb. 24 I went to the Cinema. I wanted to see Dan the Man but it was sold out…so the only available flick was SILK. Let’s just say I did not have the best experience at the theatre. For one…there is nothing to do in Kuwait but go to the Cinema so it was packed..we had to sit in the “boy section” which is located right up at the screen (sore neck). Then in Kuwait its Haram (sin) to kiss…so all the scenes with any kissing etc were edited out. To make it worse there was lots edited out of our movie and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long…I can’t imagine how long it would be without editing. It was the WORST Movie I have ever seen. No plot, or story to it. Don’t see it. Trust me save your money.
After the movie the girls (Amanda, Kyla and Danielle) and I went to the Chocolate Bar…and tried to make ourselves feel better. Teehee Danielle’s friend Moe came by and invited us over to his apartment for drinks. So we agreed.
The next day, Sunday Feb. 25th I went to Faaheel with Danielle and Kyla. It was one of the first sunny hot days here in Kuwait that we’ve had in awhile. Didn’t buy anything but we sat and drank coffee near the water sprinklers. It was a nice atmosphere.
Then Monday, Feb. 26 (National Day) I wanted to go skating so Danielle, Jamie, Joe and I headed to the rink…which had no ice because they were setting up for a concert. Seriously I didn’t think my break could get any more bad luck. We went back to Jamie’s house and ate wings, chilled out and then went back to Faaheel because Jamie needed some new shoes. Back at my house we ordered Thai and watched the Oscar Awards. Then Moe was having another party so we went to it..but it was not fun.
Tuesday, Feb. 27 – Liberation Day …I had full intentions of getting up early and going to the Liberation Tower in Kuwait…but slept in. Sigh and that was the worst week I could possible have had this year. So next year I don’t think I want to stay in Kuwait for that long of break.
On February 21 we were supposed to celebrate National Day at school but because of the dust storm the Ministry of Education cancelled it. So we had it on February. 28th. This is when everyone in Kuwait dressed in the Kuwait flag colors.
Just a bit of history for you..as I am currently teaching the Kuwait Unit in S.S National Day is always celebrated on the 25th because it was when Kuwait became an independent country. On Feb. 26th Kuwait became free from the fighting with Iraq. At school it was a whole day of events. Starbucks came to school,
there was buffet lunch and shwarma! They also had blow ups as you can see..and I couldn't resist myself! lolSo right now I am cleaning my apartment…I am hosting a student teacher to live with me for the next 8 weeks…hopefully we get along because the living quarters are going to be tight.
Hope all is well. Miss everyone lots.
Love,Krista
National and Liberation Day
Okay another update on my busy life here in Sandville.
About 2 weeks ago we had a sandstorm. I was at school getting ready to go on lunch duty when an announcement came on and said that visibility was low and that it was an indoor recess. Keep our classroom doors and windows closed. Then they went on to say they were contacting the appropriate authorities as to cancel school for the rest of the day and go home.
I thought to myself…”Are you serious? We are going to cancel school because of a dust storm…SWEET…nobody at home will believe this. Lol”
So I opened my door and it was a bit hazy in the hallway…then I continued all the way to the outside doors. When I opened the door all I saw was a light brown haze and no playground. Then I thought to myself “Wow this is my FIRST dust storm!...COOL”
Well needless to say school did not get cancelled….however we heard that school the next day might be…but unfortunately it did not happen. It was still dusty again and most girls came with the little white masks that you wear when you are cleaning out a grain bin…it was quite the sight to see.
On February 22 – 26 we had another holiday. I decided I should be responsible and save some money and check out Kuwait more. Everyone that didn’t stay in Kuwait went to Lebanon…but I was a bit leary as the US Embassy was recently bombed.
On Friday Feb. 23 I went to games night in my building with all the people who stayed in Kuwait..which was a fair number of us.
Then on Saturday. Feb. 24 I went to the Cinema. I wanted to see Dan the Man but it was sold out…so the only available flick was SILK. Let’s just say I did not have the best experience at the theatre. For one…there is nothing to do in Kuwait but go to the Cinema so it was packed..we had to sit in the “boy section” which is located right up at the screen (sore neck). Then in Kuwait its Haram (sin) to kiss…so all the scenes with any kissing etc were edited out. To make it worse there was lots edited out of our movie and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long…I can’t imagine how long it would be without editing. It was the WORST Movie I have ever seen. No plot, or story to it. Don’t see it. Trust me save your money.
After the movie the girls (Amanda, Kyla and Danielle) and I went to the Chocolate Bar…and tried to make ourselves feel better. Teehee Danielle’s friend Moe came by and invited us over to his apartment for drinks. So we agreed.
The next day, Sunday Feb. 25th I went to Faaheel with Danielle and Kyla. It was one of the first sunny hot days here in Kuwait that we’ve had in awhile. Didn’t buy anything but we sat and drank coffee near the water sprinklers. It was a nice atmosphere.
Then Monday, Feb. 26 (National Day) I wanted to go skating so Danielle, Jamie, Joe and I headed to the rink…which had no ice because they were setting up for a concert. Seriously I didn’t think my break could get any more bad luck. We went back to Jamie’s house and ate wings, chilled out and then went back to Faaheel because Jamie needed some new shoes. Back at my house we ordered Thai and watched the Oscar Awards. Then Moe was having another party so we went to it..but it was not fun.
Tuesday, Feb. 27 – Liberation Day …I had full intentions of getting up early and going to the Liberation Tower in Kuwait…but slept in. Sigh and that was the worst week I could possible have had this year. So next year I don’t think I want to stay in Kuwait for that long of break.
On February 21 we were supposed to celebrate National Day at school but because of the dust storm the Ministry of Education cancelled it. So we had it on February. 28th. This is when everyone in Kuwait dressed in the Kuwait flag colors. I will post some pictures of this event. Just a bit of history for you..as I am currently teaching the Kuwait Unit in S.S National Day is always celebrated on the 25th because it was when Kuwait became an independent country. On Feb. 26th Kuwait became free from the fighting with Iraq.
So right now I am cleaning my apartment…I am hosting a student teacher to live with me for the next 8 weeks…hopefully we get along because the living quarters are going to be tight.
Hope all is well. Miss everyone lots.
Love,Krista
About 2 weeks ago we had a sandstorm. I was at school getting ready to go on lunch duty when an announcement came on and said that visibility was low and that it was an indoor recess. Keep our classroom doors and windows closed. Then they went on to say they were contacting the appropriate authorities as to cancel school for the rest of the day and go home.
I thought to myself…”Are you serious? We are going to cancel school because of a dust storm…SWEET…nobody at home will believe this. Lol”
So I opened my door and it was a bit hazy in the hallway…then I continued all the way to the outside doors. When I opened the door all I saw was a light brown haze and no playground. Then I thought to myself “Wow this is my FIRST dust storm!...COOL”
Well needless to say school did not get cancelled….however we heard that school the next day might be…but unfortunately it did not happen. It was still dusty again and most girls came with the little white masks that you wear when you are cleaning out a grain bin…it was quite the sight to see.
On February 22 – 26 we had another holiday. I decided I should be responsible and save some money and check out Kuwait more. Everyone that didn’t stay in Kuwait went to Lebanon…but I was a bit leary as the US Embassy was recently bombed.
On Friday Feb. 23 I went to games night in my building with all the people who stayed in Kuwait..which was a fair number of us.
Then on Saturday. Feb. 24 I went to the Cinema. I wanted to see Dan the Man but it was sold out…so the only available flick was SILK. Let’s just say I did not have the best experience at the theatre. For one…there is nothing to do in Kuwait but go to the Cinema so it was packed..we had to sit in the “boy section” which is located right up at the screen (sore neck). Then in Kuwait its Haram (sin) to kiss…so all the scenes with any kissing etc were edited out. To make it worse there was lots edited out of our movie and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long…I can’t imagine how long it would be without editing. It was the WORST Movie I have ever seen. No plot, or story to it. Don’t see it. Trust me save your money.
After the movie the girls (Amanda, Kyla and Danielle) and I went to the Chocolate Bar…and tried to make ourselves feel better. Teehee Danielle’s friend Moe came by and invited us over to his apartment for drinks. So we agreed.
The next day, Sunday Feb. 25th I went to Faaheel with Danielle and Kyla. It was one of the first sunny hot days here in Kuwait that we’ve had in awhile. Didn’t buy anything but we sat and drank coffee near the water sprinklers. It was a nice atmosphere.
Then Monday, Feb. 26 (National Day) I wanted to go skating so Danielle, Jamie, Joe and I headed to the rink…which had no ice because they were setting up for a concert. Seriously I didn’t think my break could get any more bad luck. We went back to Jamie’s house and ate wings, chilled out and then went back to Faaheel because Jamie needed some new shoes. Back at my house we ordered Thai and watched the Oscar Awards. Then Moe was having another party so we went to it..but it was not fun.
Tuesday, Feb. 27 – Liberation Day …I had full intentions of getting up early and going to the Liberation Tower in Kuwait…but slept in. Sigh and that was the worst week I could possible have had this year. So next year I don’t think I want to stay in Kuwait for that long of break.
On February 21 we were supposed to celebrate National Day at school but because of the dust storm the Ministry of Education cancelled it. So we had it on February. 28th. This is when everyone in Kuwait dressed in the Kuwait flag colors. I will post some pictures of this event. Just a bit of history for you..as I am currently teaching the Kuwait Unit in S.S National Day is always celebrated on the 25th because it was when Kuwait became an independent country. On Feb. 26th Kuwait became free from the fighting with Iraq.
So right now I am cleaning my apartment…I am hosting a student teacher to live with me for the next 8 weeks…hopefully we get along because the living quarters are going to be tight.
Hope all is well. Miss everyone lots.
Love,Krista
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
