HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Oh my gosh!! I can’t believe it!! So much going on its so bazar and kind of surreal. Holidays like this are always strange for me though because it’s a day almost like any other in the year but because it has this slight specialty it becomes a day in the year when I can think back and remember exactly what I was doing the year before, and even before that. For example, last year, I was trick or treating still with my sister and friend. Just collecting candy and going to get pizza afterwards. All I was worrying about was hitting the jackpot houses and making sure I didn’t trip on the skirt of my costume. I was never once imagining how different my next Halloween would be. This year I am in Beijing, China. Fighting a cold and costume less except for a poke-a-dot dress I picked up at H&M in Honk Kong. But not to fret! I can make due. You see, China doesn’t really celebrate Halloween, a few fiends found some clubs throwing “Western Holiday” parties. Costume parties, Barn Dances, etc. But besides that, October 31st is just another day. I really didn’t feel like going out, searching till all hours of the night, trying to find these select clubs and bars. Instead, my roommate Hiba and I got dolled up in our dresses and had us a “scary” night in. We watched Sherlock, Hounds of Baskerville while stuffing our faces with Snickers, Cookies, Moon Pies and other Sweet breads from a bakery around the corner. (It was a nice spread if I do say so myself) I even said trick or treat when I was buying the cookies earlier today... Good thing the woman couldn’t understand me anyways.
0 Comments
SUCH A LLLOOOONNNGGGGG bus ride…. I thought I was going to die. I literally thought I was going to die of boredom or car sickness or at the hands of my bus buddy. Thanks bus buddy for not killing me, and also letting me sleep on your shoulder. I think we make a good team.
By the way, we are back in Xian. Revolutionary war sites. Let me give a little bit f background on this, before the communist pary really was able to kick off here there was a period in time where the people in the party had to hide out. So they came here to Yan’an to do just that. They made this sort of camp and lived out their lives and made their plans in what was squalor. And just to make myself clear, I know this is an important place for China and especially the Communist party and I understand the gravity of what I have seen today but I am not going to lie, I was so BORED today. Yes, yes, I understand. Mao was the ruler of the communist party, he helped china rise in the world, and I realize that seeing the cave he lived in is fascinating but it just didn’t float my boat the way it probably should have. I was actually really hoping we could have talked more about these being green homes, how they are built into the side of a mountain and all Maybe if there are anything else sort of like this in China? Is that stupid? It feels kind of stupid, me saying it but it’s true! I’m not political and I just don’t really care much for it. I really wish I could walk away from today with at least a better understanding or a smaller amount of ignorance but I really wouldn’t count on it in this particular case.
BUS. BUS. BUS. 7 Hour bus ride from Xian to Yan’an. It actually doesn’t HAVE to be a 7 hour ride but we planned on making short stops. We got to eat lunch on a farm today. The family was really cool and nice and stuffed us! We ate so much food! Dish after dish after dish. Rolls and noodles, egg, chicken, peppers, so much good food! And… Apples. I don’t know if I have mentioned this, but here in China they always give us watermelon at the end of our meal sort of as a dessert. I don’t like watermelon (I know, SHOCK!) but here we are in apple country so we got yummy, yummy apples! Seriously, it was the biggest, juiciest most delicious apple I have ever eaten. After that we also got to stop at an apple farm and watch how the apples are picked and packaged (by hand). THE TERRA COTTA SOLDIERS... first thing is first, I want to say OH MY FREAKING GOD!!!! I am here looking at THE terracotta soldiers. I know I have said this a lot but, it’s so surreal. You hear about this as a kid, you see it in your textbooks and in documentaries on the Discovery Channel but never do you ever imagine yourself there. Do you even think you will go to an important place like that. One of the great wonders of the world... Well, maybe you do but I for sure didn't... It’s amazing and I feel so lucky! Even though, when you stop to think about it, it’s sort of ridiculous, isn't it? Seriously, stop and think about it, the true concept and purpose of the Terra Cotta Soldiers. In case any of you don't know the back story, there was an emperor, the first emperor actually, of China who became very powerful and made his country very powerful. And in that power he says, "You know what I need, thousands of clay soldiers and horses... Yeah, thousands... Yes, I said NEED... No! Life sized!!" and all the kings horses and all the kings men were just like, "kay?" Talk about whipped (though that’s probably not funny since you know, literally) but seriously, it’s an amazing work, truly art. It took countless hours of work and effort and I am so happy I could come and see it all with my own eyes. Here in Xian there is this little place, about two subways and a short walk away from our hotel, that is called the Muslim Market. It consists of a small side road crowded with booths and tables full of goods and trinkets. Sometimes so jam packed people can only walk single filed. It really is quite a site to see people haggling for scarves, books, clothes, anything really, even knock off American brands such as Beats headphones or sports jerseys. But why exactly is this place called the Muslim Market? Good question! This whole are actually surrounds a fairly famous Mosque. We were able to go inside on our visit and it was BEAUTIFUL!! So amazing and gorgeous!! The mask was designed in traditional Chinese architecture so it almost looked like a traditional Buddhist temple. There were carvings all along the walls inside the buildings and outside in the many courtyards. Even with a bit of conduction on one of the middle buildings it was a beautiful sight to see. Some of my friends and I also were able to find some really delicious food! Our professor Marsha Smith actually found it. It was some strange soup thing with yummy meet, cloves of garlic and broth. There were some noodles in it too but I just ate around them. Also, I bought some really great gifts for my friends and family (Get excited family! Everyone else, get jealous)
Giant Pandas have been around for 8 million years (that’s even before the ice age!!) Giant Pandas live in the mountains at about 1500 meters They can eat 60 different species of bamboo One Panda can eat 20-40kg of bamboo a DAY and poop out 10-20kg of that just as fast Panda Poop doesn’t smell… at all… it smells like plants, which is what it is Giant Pandas use to be carnivores, they even still have the teeth Gant Pandas mature at the age of 5 A female Giant Panda is only in heat for 2 days out of the year, if she doesn’t find a male she likes its not happening… sucks to suck Females get to pick the male she mates with. If more than one likes her she climbs a tree and has them fight it out to see which one is superior. If one comes across and she doesn’t like him he just doesn’t get any. They live 20-30 years in captivity Giant Pandas only absorb 20% of the nutrience they eat. Panda fur is hollow (like a polar bear!) that’s why it looks white. It’s actually clear) Babies are born in late summer (July or August) Panda gestation varies from 83-200 days ·There are only 1600 pandas in the wild 80% of Giant Pandas live in captivity Giant Pandas are solitary Giant Pandas have a bone that slick our of their hand and acts like a thumb Pandas alternate which side they bite and chew with so they don’t wear out their teeth PANDA. PANDA. PANDA. I GOT TO SEE A PANDA! Not just ONE panda, a BUNCH of Pandas! It was sooo cool and sooo much fun! I'm so excited! So happy! So so so IMPRESSED! This place was beautiful and huge! The whole place had over 120 pandas (which, in case you didn’t know, is really impressive) Pandas are actually very difficult to take care of. They are extremely picky and their health is extremely temperamental. However, when done right, they do very well in captivity. On average they can live up to 10 years longer in captivity than in the wild, which is very good. Many people don’t know this but not all animals thrive and live longer in captivity. Even with proper care, good, nutritious food, plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, the right amount of social activities, some animals just don’t so well. Elephants are one, they are better protected from poachers and other dangers but when they are at a zoo or park they don’t get the space they usually need and just can’t be as healthy as they could be in the wild. Great White Sharks are another prime example. There are NO aquariums, zoos or anyplace that can hold a Great White. Great Whites are migrating creatures and are constantly on the move (they actually can’t ever stop swimming in their lives because without water passing over their gills they will drown. Weird right?) Anyways, because they travel so much they need miles and miles of water to swim in, which no aquarium can accommodate for. The longest a Great White has been in captivity was three weeks before it died. Sorry, weird tangent, but pandas aren’t really like that at all. They thrive in captivity and get very spoiled. But with such strict living restrictions it’s hard for zoos to give them the prime care they need. They are kind of Pre-Madonna’s, this place however, does fantastic! And these people really need their stuff. At the end of this I will give you guys some fun panda facts! But seriously, this was probably one of the best days, not just of the trip, but of my life! I felt my inner Zoo Kid come out and geek out hard core I was talking to the keeper lady as much as I could and asking as many questions I could. After the panda reserve we had our flight to Xi’an (that’s right, another flight) which was a little rough for me. it was a little to bumpy for my liking. Turbulence doesn’t scare me or anything but I get super nauseous. It’s okay though I had PLENTY of Linkin Park to keep me occupied. (In case you guys don’t know about my obsession, I have over 6 hours of music by Linkin Park… I may need help) Welcome to Chengdu; land of the Panda Bears and apparently the Seattle of China. Despite its cuddly inhabitants the weather here seems to have only one mood, gloomy and rainy. We arrived here this morning and have just a casual free day with nothing much to fill our time. Tomorrow and the days after that are going to be crazy (get to see pandas tomorrow!!!) but today has actually been a very unexciting kind of day so there won’t be much of me talking. The weeks are getting faster, the days are starting to blend together and I’m starting to wear down. So instead of trying to make up something interesting I’m going to talk about some of the things I didn’t expect from China. Here we go…
1. I got to eat sweet and sour chicken today which is only the second time maybe that I’ve been able to do that since arriving to mainland china. I miss American-Chinese food. I know that’s wrong to say but I don’t really want to be right 2. ALL the meat we have been eating has bones in it. I know that doesn’t sound like that big a deal, we eat meat off the bone all the time. But not like this. These bones are usually small and there are lots of them. Can you imagine, little tinie fish bones scratching and poking at the inside of your mouth and throat? Not cool China, not cool. 3. Another surprise to me, it may be mean, but I didn’t expect the hotels in china to be so nice! And I mean really nice! I don’t even feel weird touching the sheets! It’s probably to help make up for the public bathrooms 4. That leads to my next point, the bathrooms. Oh, my, goodness! I never thought I’d see a day where it was such a luxury to have toilet paper, soap and actual seat to sit on! Let’s just say I will never complain about any bathroom in America again. (Perspective!) 5. This last one isn’t just a china thing but I haven’t watched any tv since I have arrived in Japan. Maybe a short movie on a plain or an episode of Sherlock on my computer but that’s it. It’s really strange but I don’t miss it. It’s going to be interesting when I get back to the States. |
Archives
October 2014
Cities
All
|