China... in a nutshell (Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai in one!)...

The day in Hong Kong was awesome… although it was super short it was definitely a good time. I didn’t really make any plans since it was such a short stay but I have to admit that it is a very easy city to navigate and the subway system is the easiest that I have ever experienced. I decided to tag along with Faith to meet up with a friend, Shelly who Faith works with at Stanford and I have had the pleasure of hanging out with prior to seeing her in Hong Kong. Once we were cleared to dock we got off and met a friend, Shelly who works at Stanford, for some dim sum and quick sight seeing. Because of the time constraint we had to choose what to do very carefully. Shelly was in Hong Kong with her boyfriend, who is a composer and does some work in Hong Kong and it was serendipitous that she was there the same time we were. After a nice lunch at Crystal Jade at the IFC center we spent the day at the large Buddha Statue by taking the Ngong Ping 360 Sky Cabin, a system of cable cars that take you to a high point where the statue is situated. It was an amazing ride and view and a fun little touristy area. After spending most of the day there and taking pictures we had dinner at one of the most spiciest Sichuan restaurants in the city called San Xi Lou – ummm.. my tongue was numb… it was a spicy sensation that I don’t think I have ever experienced… it is hot but not in the kimchee or siracha type of spicy it was really numbing… pretty funny. Check out the pics… the food was amazing and almost scary. After that we did some night market shopping in Hong Kong which was interesting, since I only had one night in Hong Kong and had a bunch of Hong Kong dollars I spent money on the most random things from a bootleg cigarette case to a funny hat to keep me warm on the Great Wall hike… and of course some magnets as souvenirs. We headed back and I packed to set off to Beijing for the Great Wall hike! We started off by meeting to go to the Hong Kong airport to catch a one-hour flight to Beijing at 11am which was perfect. There were about 100 of us going on the same flight so that made it fun and also easy to navigate since there were so many people headed to the same game and customs. I have to say, the airports in China are so nice – all are littered with shops and it feels more like a retail experience, like venturing through a mall more than an airport. Once we arrived in Beijing we were picked up by our tour operators and taken quickly to our bus where we had a 2 hour commute to the Beijing Shihao International Hotel… the hotel was a 5-star hotel which usually caters to native Chinese tourists. It was pretty awesome to experience a hotel like this. They had a club, bowling alley, and huge dining room – the funny thing is that the hotel was pretty empty so it felt like the hotel was all to ourselves. Oh, before we got the hotel they had us have dinner next door in a banquet hall… they served us local food and once thing I noticed was that they rarely serve rice at meals. I asked the tour operator if they do this usually and he told me that rice is generally not provided in meals and said that rice was seen as peasant food… that was a bit shocking for me since rice is such a staple in Asian cuisine in the States but it works, I don’t eat much rice anyway, but interesting to know. It is also fun watching everyone negotiate the lazy susan and family style dining which is something I pretty much grew up with… that was a pretty big thing I noticed actually – everyone was so intrigued and commented on the various things I realized I took for granted, like family style eating, a lazy susan, or just food items in general. I guess growing up in a city an living in urban areas with plentiful diversity you are more exposed to diverse cultures and experiences. I realized how lucky I am as well and how important it is to be willing to learn and teach others mutually. Something I have been chewing on since the voyage started and I continually have questions and thoughts about what difference is and its tight connection to epistemology and learning… but I regress because most people who may be reading will be lost, rolling their eyes, or just laughing at my mental-ness…. Ok, so for the fun stuff… well the hike on Day 1 was awesome, we went through an area of the Great Wall that was pretty much untouched from refurbishment… so it looked like ruins and you can see most of it because it was in tact enough to trek thorough and take pictures but it is clearly not the touristy section of the wall… the hike was about 8 miles and took most of the day… it was real fun and nice to just see the sights while being outside and doing something active. The funniest part of the journey was that they served us McDonalds.. .yup, you read it correctly folks… the tour operators were so excited to serve us McDonalds but you should have seen the look of everyone’s faces… in astonishment… for them, they thought McDonalds would be our highlight but unfortunately that’s not what the group was expecting… however… we graciously took the food since we needed sustenance… it took 4 Sherpas from the local village to go purchase all the Filet-O-Fishes and Big Macs for us to eat… what a moment.. chillin’ on the ruins of the Great Wall of China eating a Big Mac…. LOL…. Well after a few more hours of hiking we ended on the part of the Wall where tourists begin and would start there the following day. We headed back for dinner at another large Chinese restaurant and then decided to call it a night since we were physically wiped out. We did roam a bit but there wasn’t much to see around the area our hotel was in since it was mostly small shops that catered to the local community and because everything was closed. The next day we had breakfast at the hotel and headed off to start where we ended the day before…. Although this part of the hike was paved it was definitely a bit more strenuous. There were a lot of stairs that go up and down – and although shorter as well.. it was definitely a physical challenge for many…. Surprisingly for me… it wasn’t that bad… I even ran up the 160 stairs they call the stairway to heaven…. I think they got video of me running it… good times… Our last day in Beijing we headed to Tian’men Square and the Forbidden City. Tian’men Square is touted to be the largest public square in the world. It is definitely a sight to see with so many people descending onto the square to see this landmark. From there we were herded to the Forbidden City which is also known as the Imperial Palace which was home to over 20 emperors of China. There are about 9000 rooms which housed more than 9000 people in its prime. With moats, viewing rooms, a throne shrine, and a large garden it was fascinating to think how people lived and what it looked like when it was in use. After our quick visit we left for the airport and headed toward Shanghai. Coming into Shanghai was a sight to see… all the lights and the skyline was awesome. Everything was lit up since we got in at night and made me super excited to check out the sights. I didn’t have any major arranged plans since I wanted to connect with some friends, including Paulie who moved from NY to Shanghai. After some needed rest that night I connected with Paulie the next day and he showed me around the town. He lives in the French Concession, which is a small area which the French occupied a while back and you can see the clear architectural influence on the area. It is so neat to see the small town-like area amidst the tall buildings and malls in Shanghai. We also hung out on a stretch near the water in Shanghai called the Bund which was also a touristy place to see… it is near a waterfront and very touristy but cool to see. After a few drinks I headed back to the ship and then rested for the next and last day in Shanghai… my only thing to do was to check out the markets and grab a last bite to eat with Paulie and another friend, Judy. The market was packed with random goods and trinkets… I bought a few magnets and a mask for the Alumni Ball, which is a masquerade theme, on the ship… after that I met Paulie and Judy at a place called Pho Real – I know, in Shanghai, eating Pho, but it was great… and now I can say I have been eating Pho all around the world! LOL…. That sums up China… of course there are a million things that I can also write but this is a great snapshot of my travels in China… it was great and I would definitely go back like the other ports… 2-3 days in each of these places are not enough.