China

My school has a program called the 'CUE Big Experience' for all year 9s to take part in. Throughout the year we get involved in activities involving 'CUE' (Community, Urban, Environment) in our own backyard - Melbourne. We took part in Scuba diving, community placements at old peoples home, disadvantaged primary schools, schools for autistic children and also the St. Kilda Mission for the homeless. As part of urban, we also looked at the multi-cultural aspects of Melbourne, because it is such a diverse city, and we learnt to appreciate that Australians aren't just your born and bred aussies, but we have citizens from all walks of life.
Anyway, in the last term to kind of 'sum it all up' we take part in the 'Big Experience' in which all the students could choose from 4 destinations to partake in a 3 week learning experience. The destinations were Fiji, China, Vietnam or Laos&Cambodia. I chose China purely because out of all those places I thought it would be the most culturally diverse, as well as thinking it would be the place I would lease likely travel by myself. So that is how I came to my trip in China.
Due to it being a part of the CUE program we had all the year, we had to participate in some sort of Community placement while there, 'Urbanise' ourselves in the large cities of Beijing and Shanghai, while also taking into consideration the Environment aspect of the trip, which is clearly the large amounts of pollution China goes through each year to keep up with their industrial quests.

We left Melbourne on the 2nd of November and begun our journey in Beijing, the countries capital. I had been told before I arrived that clean air was something which I would not likely come across - and I guess to some extent they were right. Getting of the plane was a shock, they air smelt weird and instantly we were a minority against the throng of Chinese people. We didn't get into Beijing until about 12am in the morning, meaning we were all tired, grumpy (well I was), and just wanted to go to our hotel and sleep.
The next day began in earnest, it was a mild morning, and we were eager to set off and experience the sights of Beijing. I had no idea what to expect walking out of the hotel, yet walking through the hustle and bustle streets of Beijing was amazing. We were treated like aliens (foreign aliens!) by the Chinese people, and they loved getting photos with us. One of the boys in my group, Jamie, was well liked due to his blonde hair, which is obvious very rare in China. We begun our day in Tiananmen Square, which is roughly the size of 16 football ovals (theres the aussie in me) and took photos of the pillars surrounding the area, as well as the potrait of Chairman Mao, staring down at us.

We then had a ride on the famous Chinese Rickshaws among the Hutong district, which was a beautiful place. There were traditional Chinese homes surrounding us, as well as a murky river/lake through the district. This is where we encountered the 'real Beijing' and were able to enter an authentic Chinese home. We followed up this trip into the Hutong District with a tradional Chinese meal at the Wahaha Restaurant. Yes, that's right, the Wahaha Restaurant. It was our first Chinese meal, and it lived up to expectations. We enjoyed meals that were common among the locals.
After this we made our way to the beautiful Forbidden City. This was one of my favourite places in China, experiencing the traditional, yet unique Chinese architecture and imaging where the royal family lived up until 1911. It was massive. We would continually walk, and I thought it would never end, the size of the palace is actually beyond imagination. We finished off our day with a Peking Duck dinner, which was at a restuarant complete with acrobats, magicians and singers (although we had no idea what they were singing). Afterward we walked along the Beijing version of Southgate (this is melbourne speak) and wondered through the pretty restaurants and shops located next to the lake. We also got to enjoy sights of our first market experience, and luckily we ate dinner, or else we would be filling up on yummy scorpian, fish eyes and silkworms. Shame we didn't get to enjoy that one! One thing however, that did strike us that evening was the abundance of poor people and beggars in the city. it was beyond belief, and it makes you realise and appreciate that what you have, not everyone else is as lucky.

Day 3 and it was the day everyone was looking forward to - The Great Wall of China!! It was amazing, we travelled by bus through Beijing and into the countryside, bound towards the Great Wall. We stopped off in a village along the way to have lunch (a meager westerners lunch of sandwhiches and fruit) as well as being invited into two traditional country style Chinese homes. Apart from obviously having a few Chinese styles things, and obviously being cheaper built etc, it was surprisingly like an average home - they even had a large TV! Again, we compared our lives with the people we came across and it amazed us how people can have so little, yet enjoy their lives furvently and with passion.

At last we arrived at the Great Wall. For those who haven't been there the journey to the entrance is up a relatively steep, cobblestone road with stalls on either side. We were told to briskly make our way up, and we would have time to browse on the way back down. To reach the wall there were two options, the walk or the chairlift. Being self-absorbed, lazy 15 and 16 year old teenagers we decided the chairlift was the way to go. It provided us with a leisurely trip up the mountainside, with amazing views around us. The step onto the Great Wall, however, was an amazing feeling. It is one of the man-made wonders of the world, and we all got an awe-inspired feeling of being on a monument which stretched for 9,000 kilometres (roughly 8,880 kms). The day was rather foggy, however we still got an ok view of the Wall in the distance. We had all seen pictures and postcards, but actually being on the wall was so different to what we expected. We climbed the turrets and took photos of the surroundings views, and we took our time to stroll up and down the twisty walkways. I think this moment some of us realised we were finally in China, it is obviously one of the most iconic landmarks ever, and it was a powerful feeling. No landmark in Australia can really compare (well, according to me anyway).

After spending our time on the wall, we had one way down - Toboganning!! It was great to go from this amazingly old landmark (it was built in app. 7 BC) to a kid-like activity, and we all enjoyed every minute of it, speeding and toboganning down to the entrance. It ended all to soon, and we were confronted with yet an entirely new experience - markets. It was essentially the first time in China we had bargained, so we were all a little rusty. I for one, am horrible at bargaining and tend to give into the pleading sellers. Eventually I turned to friends and had them do the bargaining for me. The markets were actually adorable, most in our group purchased the customary "I climbed the Great Wall" jumpers (there was a competition to see who could claim the cheapest price), and there were many other things on offer. Panda hats, jewellery, sunglasses, pictures and figurines were just some of the merchandise we came away with.

Our trip back to the hotel was long and arduous as we finally got a taste for the 17 million odd residents of Beijing, the peak hour was nothing compared to Melbourne. We enjoyed anotherlocal Chinese meal while afterwards being treated to a traditional Kung Fu show. The skills in the show were jaw-dropping, and some kids as young as 7 were performing the most amazing tricks consisting of back-flips, landing on heads and in the same motion flipping back onto their feet. Another long day meant many of us were yet again tired, and I think we all enjoyed crawling into our beds and sleeping.

We had our last day in Beijing before overnight-training it to Xi'an, so we finished off our sightseeing. First off we visited the Temple of Heaven which was surprisingly fun. All around the gardens there were people playing with Chinese hacky sack, tennis type games and there was even ballroom music with a dancefloor on which couples were dancing. We didn't know what to expect, but eventually we realised it was a place to just have fun, relax and enjoy company with many of the locals. There were thousands of people, excercising and gossiping and it was a great way to spend our morning. We had a walk through the park and enjoyed browsing through the many temples.

We had another authentic Chinese lunch at the Red hotel, followed by our last sightseeing trip, to the Olympic stadium 'Birds Nest' which was where much of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held. This day was a particularly smoggy type of day and we couldn't exactly see much of the Birds Nest until we were closer, and when we got in we realised that it was being made into a makeshift car racing arena as well, which was slightly disappointing as well. All in all, Beijing was amazing though. It was such a vibrant, yet unique city, and unlike any other place I have been too. We had a quick dinner, and then were on our way to Xi'an on the overnight train. This was yet another unique experience for us all, many of us having never been on overnight trains. The train station was largely overwhelming and it was one of the times when I was glad to have older adults there to guide us. All signs were in Chinese and the area was hugely populated, there was scarcely room to move. I was also slightly disappointed as I had been told that the trip from Beijing to Xi'an was quite pretty, and we would go through small towns and villages, as well as through valleys and mountains, however it was dark and we were unable to see much from outside the window. The compartments were small, yet comfy and housed 4 of us, and it was actually a blast getting to talk and snuggle in our bunks.

I woke up in the morning quite early, and no one else was awake so I opened the curtain a little and looked at the scenery outside. We were passing by mountains and little shanty towns which looked like they could crumble at any moment. There were people walking alongside the train lines and workers fixing things. We arrived in Xi'an and as soon as we got off we were swarmed by people trying to take photos and sell us stuff, which was hugely overwhelming. We were all starving, having had bought only pringles and chocolate (in Beijing we realised these were one of the only western type snacks available in the everyday grocery stores) on the overnight train, and we were eager to have breakfast. We stopped off at our hotel, which was actually amazing. We had large rooms, with great views over the city, and the buffet breakfast was the best. However, we had to dump our stuff in the hotel and go. We were on our way to Baoji, a 'town' around 4 hours out of Xi'an in which we would meet with the Xing Xing Street Care, an orphanage our school supports. This was part of the community aspect of our trip. We jumped on the bus and were on our way, entertained by the musical talents of Oasis and Coldplay on our ipods.

Before continuing, I have to mention that to the Chinese Baoji is considered a 'rural town'. It is rather small for them, and when we tell Chinese that we are stopping there they ask why in bewilderment, or better yet, they ask where? with confusion on their face. To them it has only 2.5 million people, to us, it would be an equivalent of Melbourne city with not as many skyscraper buildings. We stopped off at a supermarket for a toilet and snack break and were stared at the whole way. Apparently Baoji rarely receives any Westerner visits, so again, we felt like zoo animals being inspected. Most of us actually ended up lost in their supermarket, it was huge, and I was much to intimidated to ask someone for help. Eventually we found our way back to the bus and made our way to the Xing Xing orphanage.

The moment we entered the orphanage at least 15 kids came running out, yet as we approached they shyed away from us. We were equally overwhelmed, yet eager to give them our presents which we had brought from Melbourne for the kids. They included clothes, hats, stationary things and stuffed toys like koalas and kangaroos. The children loved them, and the happiness our gifts brought them was remarkable, and it touched all of us to think that we helped to bring joy to these children. We enjoyed playing games like badminton, ping pong, hackey sack and four square with the kids, and it was great to enjoy another relaxing afternoon spending time with children which had grown up in not-so-nice circumstances. Many of the kids were between the ages of 5 and 10, and some had learning and growth difficulties, and it was really sad to think how most of their parents just abandoned them and left them for dead.

We eventually left the orphanage with promises that yes, we will continue playing with them tomorrow and headed to our hotel. We enjoyed a very healthy meal KFC and found our way back to our rooms to watch TV, read or go to sleep.

We woke up in the morning eager for our breakfast and to head off and meet the Xing Xing children, however the buffet at this hotel was not exactly similar to what we had in Beijing and Xi'an. There was no western food at all, and there incomprehensible dishes lined up, so timidly, most of us chose to eat a bowl of fried rice and leave it at that. We met up with the Xing Xing kids and began our walk up the mountain in Baoji. The first part was climbing up stairs and at the top of the stairs we had a beautiful view of Baoji. We played a bit of hacky sack and soccer and flew kites with the kids before continuing our journey to the top of the mountain, this time on dirt paths. We came across caves which we were told homeless people used to live in, but now mainly animals live in ther, and eventually we came to the top. Here, we enjoyed, and I want to use that word lightly, a meal at a very small, authentic Chinese restaurant. The reason I emphasised the word 'enjoyed' was because it was definitely food which none of us Australians were used to. We came across 100 year old preserved eggs, eel, the spiciest slimy green bean stuff I have ever tasted, and some sort of meat which resembled beef, however could have been anything.

The Xing Xing children, however, were loving it, this being a treat for them. We were happily giving them our share, most of us not daring enought to eat the egg or eel. After our lunch we went to a children's ceramics centre and created all types of artistic things. Here we got to know the kids even more, little La La winning our hearts in a pink matching tracksuit with a black eye caused from falling over. She has rheumatoid athritis and cannot walk properly, causing her to shuffle from place to place. It was heartbreaking watching her, however she enjoyed playing 'catch' and it was amazing watching her face light up whenever she caught the ball. Li Guong Chen is another at the orphanage, he was 16 at the time and was a role model and leader to the younger kids. To him, they are his family now, having been abandoned at a young age. We enjoyed spinning clay and drawing with the kids, and even though the language was a barrier, we managed to communicate well.

Our exhaustion and sore feet from climbing the hundreds and thousands of steep hilly stairs was thankfully rewarded with a much needed trek to Macca’s with the Xing xing kids for dinner. It was great to see the wide eyed smiles on their faces when they were given their Big Mac and greasy chips, not to mention the Macca’s balloons and pencil cases. We enjoyed our last few hours with them, playing in the McDonald's playground and eating, sad to think that our time with them was drawing to an end. Meeting them was an amazing experience, and one which I will definitely never forget (yes, cliche I know, but true). We had final photos with all the kids, before the sad goodbyes began. We all had a marvellous time in Baoji with the children, and we learnt alot in the short time we were there, however we were also eager to make our way back to Xi'an and continue on with our trip.

The following morning we took the fast train from Baoji to Xi'an and as we arrived we were completly shocked, Xi'an was absolutely freezing!! There had been a sudden change in the weather, so we rugged up ready to head to lunch. We enjoyed a beautiful noodle meal, and had fun watching the chef make the pasta for noodles. After lunch we set off to encounter our first sightseeing activity in Xi'an - The Terracotta Warriors! By the time we arrived it was raining, and it was a long walk to the pit where the warriors are held, so trudged our way through the cold and drizzle into the building. We met our tour guide and began the tour through the building. We found out that no two soldiers are the same and were modelled from real soldiers in an ancient emperors army. It was amazing seeing these 'warriors' and I really enjoyed walking through the different pits.

We made our way back to Xi'an city centre and had dinner at Maccas, yet again, because due to the rain the markets in the Muslin quarter would be closing early and we needed to eat somewhere close by. The Muslim quarter was amazing. There were market stalls everywhere, and this was a great opportunity for all of us to buy souvenirs and gifts. There were many food stalls as well in the area, and the aromas were amazing (I was told the dumplings were delicious). We explored much of the Muslim quarter, and every single person walked onto the bus holding at least one bag. I know most of us bought some warm clothes, like beanies and gloves, as we were told it was going to SNOW the next day. I was eager to get back to the hotel and have a good sleep before going off to see the pandas in the morning!

It had snowed in Xi'an!! We woke up to a slather of snow coating the ground and I almost wet my pants in anticipation of going outside and touching it (I had never been to the snow before). Even the locals were excited, eager to throw snowballs at one another, however the 1 degree weather held as back as we had to layer up. I think I was wearing about 5 layers in the end. We rushed through breakfast and ran outside to build snowmen and throw snowballs, and it was such an awesome experience. Being in a foreign country touching snow for the first time!!

We set off on the bus to escape to the countryside and see the beautiful pandas. There was snow on trees, building and of course the road, which slowed down the travel process, however we were happy taking in the sights of Xi'an and the chaos which the snow brought. Finally, we were off to the animal sanctuary and were lucky enough to experience a Giant Panda snacking on some bamboo. However, it was an eye opener for us to see how small and dirty the cages and enclosures were for the animals. It was bordering on disgusting to see the conditions they were kept in for animals that size, however we were told the alternatives could lead to loss of habitat and possible extinction. It was the lesser of two evils. Due to playing in the snow in the morning, and the travel delays, the animal sanctuary was the only activity we did that day. However, many snow fights were conducted, and I think we had all sufficiently come close to frostbite (had to remember to buy gloves!).

That night we enjoyed a delicious dumpling meal at one of the local restaurants, and when we came outside afterwards it was actually snowing. It was wonderful to enjoy a climate which we are so not used to in Melbourne.

The next morning we woke up to yet another blanket of snow and it was again, amazing (I need to start thinking of some more adjectives..). Rooftops, trees, cars and anything else that had been left outside overnight were covered in snow. Due to these unexpected weather conditions our plans for the day had changed. Again, when there is snow, there are snowball fights, and that day was no exception. Not only did we have to dodge snow from friends, but also snow falling from rooftops and trees (definitely got wacked in the head a few times, and slithered down the back of my top. Delightful!). The snow allowed the smog to clear and we were lucky enough to experience blue skies and some-what fresh air, possibly the closest we had come to breathing normal air again. One activity of the day was climbing the Xi'an city wall, and we all participated in a full on snowball fight. The views of the surrounding city from the wall were amazing, the snow that had settled on buildings and cars was beautiful to photograph and we all enjoyed have a walk along the wall.

That night we walked through the back alleys to the Muslim markets and saw yet another side of China. The apartments along the streets were all small, yet from what we could see they were crammed with people. This was an experience the average tourist doesn't get to see, and we were able to gain an insight into yet another aspect of the poor in China. Smells were wafting from every door and we were eager to grab some dinner from nearby stalls.

Next morning and we all packed for our flight that night to Guilin, in China's south. We had breakfast and then hopped on the bus to travel a short distance to an excercise park. A minimal amount of people were around, and we were not surpised to find that we were one of few to brave Xi'ans windy and cold weather. However, there were a few people around playing cards and we were happy to join them. There was also little workout machines around the park which we all had a go at (needed to work off that dumpling dinner). After lunch we went back to the Muslim quarter for the third time and got an eye opener into what it was like during the day. We saw many people with small businesses spilling on to the streets, cooking bread or meat or kebabs. Animal carcases hung from walls and doors in the open air. There were more beggars and fewer stalls open, as well as increased road hazards during the day as people were zipping around on bikes, motorbikes and cars. Horns were blaring constantly, and eventually, having decided it was too cold for our feable Melbourne bodies to take, we meandered into a nearby starbucks.

After dinner we made our way to the airport to board our flight to Guilin to discover that all flights had been delayed due to heavy fog and snow.. That was at 7pm. During the hours we spent waiting at the aiport we all experienced a new level of knowledge about the Chinese population. It was big. It felt like all of China was in the airport, and another thing we realised was that they were no good at waiting. No orderly lines or queues were formed, it was every man for themselves and they all tried to get to the counters first. Eventually we all settled on the floor, some of us playing card games and reading to a point where eventually there was a huge pile of us just sleeping on the floor. We were a source of amusement and bewilderment all rolled into one for the Chinese people, as they were watching the westerners spectacle, no doubt wondering what the hell we were doing. By 1.30 in the morning the airport staff finally cancelled all flights, and we were off on the bus again, back to the hotel in Xi'an, hoping to fly out the next morning.