10:28 PM
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Day 3: 31 March 2009
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Day 3 begins at very early time - 5.15am to be exact. Dazed and still half-asleep, we dragged ourselves for our morning Taiji. The exercise was conducted at one of the parks in the city. It was interesting to see so many people up so ealry in the morning playing badminton or taking a walk. And as soon as we thought we were adjusting to the cold....BAM! it gets even more colder. We were freezing in the morning. The taiji itself was difficult, not helped by having it conducted in only chinese. Apparently, the instructor tried to teach us way too much for a first lesson. It was interesting nonetheless but we all couldnt wait to get back into the warmth of the bus.
After a rushed but hearty breakfast, we made our way to the rehab center. The place was quite far away and we all appreciated the extra sleep that we could get. At the rehab center, we were greeted by so many adorable kids. Cameras immediately started clicking away. Although the program didnt go according to plan, the visit was still considered a success. Little did we know that we would actually be conducting our planned activities out in the open.......or to be more precise...out in the cold. Main difficulties we faced were the language barriers which resulted in a lot of communication issues. We also had difficulty getting all the pictures printed out fast enough. It was still interesting to see how these kids lived and studied. This was one of the more touching parts of the trip.
Lunch was at a thai restaurant. The food was one of the better meals we had on the trip. One thing we noticed about all the restaurants we've been too so far; they are all so big!
After a rushed but hearty breakfast, we made our way to the rehab center. The place was quite far away and we all appreciated the extra sleep that we could get. At the rehab center, we were greeted by so many adorable kids. Cameras immediately started clicking away. Although the program didnt go according to plan, the visit was still considered a success. Little did we know that we would actually be conducting our planned activities out in the open.......or to be more precise...out in the cold. Main difficulties we faced were the language barriers which resulted in a lot of communication issues. We also had difficulty getting all the pictures printed out fast enough. It was still interesting to see how these kids lived and studied. This was one of the more touching parts of the trip.
Lunch was at a thai restaurant. The food was one of the better meals we had on the trip. One thing we noticed about all the restaurants we've been too so far; they are all so big!
Next on the agenda was the trip the Ren Ai Elderly Care Center. The center was still being renovated so it was a bit difficult getting our activities started. The elderly people there were also unwilling to participate initially, but they soon warmed up to us and we ended the session on a definite high. Pity that we had to leave there so fast. However, with the little time we spent there, it was a fulfilling experience learning from the elderly people there. We were all amazed at the simple they all led. Some of them were even very cool people, showing us the beatiful ornmanents that they make. One of them even had his own mini garden with a lot of beatiful potted plants. It was the most rewarding feeling to see how much they appreciated the photo frames we gave them. Made all the effort worth the while.
After a very long bus journey, we made a short pit stop at the Birds Nest stadium and Water Cube. The entire Olympic area looked very impressive and modern. The architecture of the builldings were nothing short of impressive. Walking around and taking pictures, we noticed the huge crowds of tourists and as a result, we could see plenty of the street peddlers again. There were so many of them that it actually became annoying at one point. Not permitted to enter the stadium, we all indulged in our photo taking outside the stadium.
Next up was an activity that I am sure most were looking forward to - Shopping! We were taken to this major shopping area (of which the name i have now forgotten) where all the major international brands could be found. We noticed that most of the items were not really that much cheaper compared to Singapore. In fact, some of it was even expensive. Our shopping all had to be hurried up as the cashiers over there were very slow as there was no barcode for them to scan, so everything had to be done manually. The entire area was very overly commercialised as all we found were major brands that we already knew about. However, there was this 1 street where we could find local delicacies and cheap sovieneirs to buy. Some students even witnessed people fighting in some of the stores.
One of the highlights of today was dinner - Peking Duck! Everyone surely enjoyed their meal even those who had to be contented with just brocolli! After this, it was back to the hotel for a good nights rest as we were going to the Tianjing the next day.
10:37 PM
Monday, March 30, 2009
Day 2: 30 March 2009
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An early rise and shine to day 2 of our GC trip and we were greeted to a delicious buffet breakfast. Many students were caught helping themselves to multiple helpings. "We need the energy anyways" they would say. However, to my surprise, there was no chili sauce. we tried asking for chili sauce and got some other type of chili instead. I guess some of us would have to live without our beloved maggi chili sauce for this trip.
After a bus ride and a short walk, we found ourselves in Tian Anmen Square. The crowd at the huge square made it look small. With so many people there, it was no surprise that you could find many street peddlers around selling their goods. We took lots of photos including a group one, hopeful not to catch the stare of one the many guards stationed at the square. What stuck many of us as odd, was that there were like 4 or more guards guarding a picture of Mao Tse-Tung. We wondered why they were standing guard in front of a picture. The tour guide could be found promoting the group photo at the square for 50 yuan a-piece. He was busy encouraging people to buy 2 copies so that he could get a bigger commission. (we think)
Walking under the picture of Mao Tse-Tung, we entered the Forbidden City. Even with such a mysterious name, the Forbidden City didnt seem forbidden in the least bit. Huge crowds with many cameras could be seen entering together with us. It was a huge effort on the part of the tour guides and tutors to keep the group together. A few of us found the Forbidden City overhyped and not much of a big deal. It was overly touristic & commercialised for some of us. We had hoped to be inspired by the charm & history of the place but wound up leaving there feeling a wee bit empty inside. This was another huge clash with our pre-conceived notion about the place.
Lunch stop was at a restaurant near the great wall. The food was not too bad but it was not good either. The huge shop below the restaurant was obviously targeted at tourists. All the ornaments and items for sale were so dangerously put on the edge that it looked like 1 touch would send everything crashing to the ground. It looked much like a ploy to force people who break stuff to pay for them. One of our classmates even accidentally dropped something and was very quick to rush to the scene to look for any damage. It was as though she was purposely waiting there to see who would end up dropping something. To our luck, and roy's smart thinking, there was no damage done. We were starting to feel the temperature drop. Could tell we were near the great wall - away from the city.
After a bus ride and a short walk, we found ourselves in Tian Anmen Square. The crowd at the huge square made it look small. With so many people there, it was no surprise that you could find many street peddlers around selling their goods. We took lots of photos including a group one, hopeful not to catch the stare of one the many guards stationed at the square. What stuck many of us as odd, was that there were like 4 or more guards guarding a picture of Mao Tse-Tung. We wondered why they were standing guard in front of a picture. The tour guide could be found promoting the group photo at the square for 50 yuan a-piece. He was busy encouraging people to buy 2 copies so that he could get a bigger commission. (we think)
Walking under the picture of Mao Tse-Tung, we entered the Forbidden City. Even with such a mysterious name, the Forbidden City didnt seem forbidden in the least bit. Huge crowds with many cameras could be seen entering together with us. It was a huge effort on the part of the tour guides and tutors to keep the group together. A few of us found the Forbidden City overhyped and not much of a big deal. It was overly touristic & commercialised for some of us. We had hoped to be inspired by the charm & history of the place but wound up leaving there feeling a wee bit empty inside. This was another huge clash with our pre-conceived notion about the place.
Lunch stop was at a restaurant near the great wall. The food was not too bad but it was not good either. The huge shop below the restaurant was obviously targeted at tourists. All the ornaments and items for sale were so dangerously put on the edge that it looked like 1 touch would send everything crashing to the ground. It looked much like a ploy to force people who break stuff to pay for them. One of our classmates even accidentally dropped something and was very quick to rush to the scene to look for any damage. It was as though she was purposely waiting there to see who would end up dropping something. To our luck, and roy's smart thinking, there was no damage done. We were starting to feel the temperature drop. Could tell we were near the great wall - away from the city.
Our next stop was definitely the highlight of our trip - THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA! Though some of us were exhausted from the climb to the top, the experience was indeed fulfilling and you could tell that by the look on everyone's faces. This part of the trip was a personal favorite for many students. Unlike the Forbidden City, the Great Wall was not overly commercialized or touristic. However, some students did encounter some rude sales staff at the gift shop. The climb to the top was fun yet physically straining. But through determination, perseverance & lots of encouragement, the few who did climb all the way to the top were greeted with some of the best views of China. The Great Wall really left an impression on me about how hard working the Chinese people must have been in order to build such a magnificent monument.
We were exhausted, but the tour had to go on! so we grudgingly alighted at our next stop, the Tea shop below the Lao She Tea House. We watched an interesting demonstration on how to make and drink tea. We also learnt about the different types of tea and a lot of us ended up buying some back. The tour guide must have earned a lot of commission! We were impressed with the quality of the english translations that accompanied the demontstration.
Next was dinner. With all the physical effort needed today, we were all starving. and the tour guide didn't disappoint us, bringing us to probably the best meal of the trip. We were treated to a western food buffet. However, the tour guide said this was one of the more expensive meals...but TOTALLY worth it!
We had a mini-debrief at the hotel after dinner and you could tell the staff were unhappy about opening the breakfast room without any prior booking. We thought they would have been a bit more flexible and have better customer service.
Our after-party plans included a trip to Wallmart, one of the nearby supermarkets. We thought it would be similar to the Wall Mart in the USA, but it was huge in its own right. There we even found tortoises on sale! Some of us were quite appalled at there being tortoises in a supermarket for sale. Not your usual sight in Singapore. There was also a lot of variety in the products found there, mostly international brands. Didnt feel like a China supermarket, but an international one. The staff were also quite impolite, rushing customers at closing time and putting their personal interests first. We were also tricked by the price of the bananans. Reading it as 3yuan for the entire bunch, we eagerly grabbed one only to find out at the cashier that it was actually 3yuan for 100grams.
Nights!
10:57 PM
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Day 1: 29 March 2009
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On the 28th March 2009, all the global citizens assembled at Changi Airport Terminal 1. We celebrated Sherlyn's (T01) birthday at the food court, a plate of noodle costed us SGD$5.80 and it does not taste good at all. We boarded the flight CA 970 at 12.15am and it was Shinyee's first time taking a plane. She was so excited that she screamed. Some of the flight attendants' services were not up to satisfactory standard as compared to SIA flight attendants and I don't think they spoke English through the intercom, did they? The journey from Singapore to Beijing took around 6 hours. It was a hard night for some of us.
Reached Beijing on 29th March around 6am plus.
Upon reaching the Beijing's international airport, we took the sky train to collect our luggages. Quite a long waiting time for the sky train to arrive. The airport was huge! And there were not that many people around. The temperature in Beijing was 1 degree celsius, all of us wrapped up then. We boarded our coach to a chinese restaurant which is of 4 stories high with lift to have our breakfast. This is where we had our first foray into China's cuisine and it was interesting to say the least!
The first place we visited was LAMA temple, also known as Yong He Gong. The highlight of the temple is the 18 metre tall Buddha statue. The statue is one of the three artworks in Guiness World Records 1993.
We found out that the people there are not very civilized as they bump into people without apologizing. There were also alot of recycle dustbins found in the temple.
Next, we visited The Museum of the Chinese Revolution. We had too little time there to take a look at all the exhibits.
Lunch was at a muslim restaurant at Ox Street. There were street peddlers outside the restaurant who targeted tourists. Apparently they were desperate to sell of their items by the sudden decrease in price.
We went to Lao She Teahouse next. There we watched the Chinese performances such as a magic show, puppet show and a mask performance among others. We were also served some interesting snacks to go along with the show. Some of the non-chinese speakers may have found the performances a little boring but it was still captivating nonetheless.
A short bus ride away was our wonderful hotel, Xuan Wu Men. The rooms were quite spacious and comfortable. We were all happy with the internet access in our rooms! but to our surprised horror, there were no locks on the toilet doors! not satisfied with sitting idly in our rooms, we went to check out the surrounding areas. Did some supermarketing in the end, buying plenty of bottled water!
For the 1st dinner of the trip, we were brought to a chinese restaurant. It would be the first of many more to come. Today's dinner was special as it was graced by 3 special guests. All former TP students, they shared with us their experiences about living in Beijing. Questions were asked about their transitioning into Chinese life and the whole session proved to be very insightful and informative for us. After this, it was back to the hotel for some eagerly awaited sleep........or maybe some debrief & tutorial before that :)
On the video front, we're making some progress. Managed to get our classmates to join in the dancing! Also, on our first insight into China, it actually clashed with our stereotyped impression that we had. Beijing was really a very modern city, yet traditional. A lot of us had difficulty acclimatising to the weather, having to put on layer after layer. Though tired, our first day was still fun, especially with TO1 taking lots and lots of pictures!
5:57 PM
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
testing
