PANDAS!

         PANDAS! I SAW PANDAS AND HELD ONE IN MY OWN LITTLE ARMS. 

         We got a guide and headed out to a lesser-known Panda reserve because the one in Chengdu was under construction. This one isn’t open to the public and is on a mountain that is covered in bamboo. It was amazing.

         We walked around and had a private tour of the pandas. There was no one else there. It was so great. I wanted to cry the whole time I was so happy.

         In the end I got to hug a panda. I had to wear all this stuff that made me look like I was prepping for surgery, but it was worth it. The lil guy came out and sat down on this bench/couch thing. I got to sit by him, put my arms around him, and try not to have an emotional breakdown. He ended up putting his paw on my upper thigh and stared into my eyes, so I mean. Yeah. That happened. Probably one of the most romantic moments of my life.

YangShuo Day 2

        We got up early on the second day so we could go kayaking! We got to the river at about eight and it was gorgeous. The only people on the river were fishermen and the villagers. It was such a surreal trip. It started off with beautiful cliffs and Karst Mountains, moved into these terraced farmlands and prairies, then ended up with a huge forest. Absolutely stunning. 

         After we finished that, they took us back to the hotel and we rented bikes and headed off to Moon Hill. When we got there we hiked up the 800 steps to the top and the view was pretty.

         We went back to the hotel, chilled for the night, got up on Sunday morning and headed back home. T’was a great trip. Up there with Inner Mongolia. I’m glad Garett forced me to come.

YangShuo Day 1

           Garett, Michael and I decided to go have the best weekend of our lives. We flew into Guilin Thursday night and the hotel van picked us up and we got to Yangshuo at about 1am. So the entire drive long we couldn’t see what was outside. Which made waking up the next morning so much more exciting.

         For the first day we decided to rent bikes and go the Dragon Bridge (some 600 year old bridge) and then take the bamboo rafts down the river. They say that this place is the most beautiful place in the entire world and I don’t doubt that for a second. This place is gorgeous beyond belief.

         So we biked on paved roads through the “city”, dirt roads through the farms, and sidewalks along the river. It took us forever to get there because we kept on stopping to take pictures.

         The bridge was pretty, but ultimately just a bridge.

         The bamboo rafts though! Since there was three of us; we had to split up. Garett went on one and then Michael and I went on the other one. It was AMAZING. Truly the most fantastic place I have ever been. All of our pictures look fake because there’s no way this place could be real.

         

         

Study Tour: Beijing

 DAY EIGHT

         Today we met up with Larry again at Tiananmen Square. It was strange being in a place with so much history. There is such power in the events that have transpired here. A very special experience.

         Unfortunately, my least favorite moment of all of China, as well as my proudest moment, occurred here. Mao’s mausoleum is in Tiananmen Square and thousands of people go through it everyday. But think about it. It’s basically like going to the tomb of Hitler, except a hundred times worse.

         I’ve never felt so physically and emotionally uncomfortable. It was such a horrible place to be. And thousands of people go there! People bring flowers and place them on a statue. Others will pray to him, which was so sad to watch. These people adore this monster. I wanted to get out of there as soon as I stepped inside. But I did do one thing that I decided to later put on my bucket list so I could cross it off. While we walked through the room with his “body” in it…I might have spit on the ground. A moment of triumph for America.

         After that train wreck, we went to the Temple of Heaven. This is the building they built in Epcot to represent China. It was gorgeous! It was fun going there because all around the grounds there were brides and grooms taking wedding pictures. It was cool seeing their Western style dresses, Chinese dresses, and then awkward scantily clad prom dresses. But adorable nonetheless.

         Then we went shopping. We went to the Silk Market, which is one of the huge fake markets in Beijing. Bartering is probably one of my favorite things to do, but shopping is not. So really I only go there so I can argue with people. 

Study Tour: Beijing

DAY SEVEN

         We (Sammy, Garett, Michael, and I) met up with Uncle Larry today. *teen girl squad voice* It was AWESOME!!

         First we went to the Lama Temple. Fun fact: has the largest statue ever made out of a single tree. And that’s what was cool about that place.

         Then we went to the Forbidden City. Mao’s portrait though: priceless. There were soldiers everywhere and security was very tight. It’s a big place for protests so they were screening everyone who didn’t look Han for suspicious belongings or behavior. Sounds racist, but necessary. We walked around there for a couple hours and it was surprisingly empty. The place is massive, but all of the furniture is in Taiwan, so that’s a little anticlimactic, but still cool nonetheless.

         Then to finish the night we headed to Tiananmen Square. It’s all lit up at night and there was people everywhere and soldiers marching back and forth. We decided to film part of our music video and went crazy dancing in front of the Forbidden City. People loved it. After we finished we had another impromptu photo shoot which is always fun. During that, these two guys came up to us and we started chatting. One of them, the infamous ChenChen, asked each of us to take selfies with him. But with me it was a little different. I thought that he was just taking a selfie, but later that night he sent Garett a video of me. It was horrifying. It had this creepy music and was basically just of me smiling and laughing at the camera. 100% ChenChen will inevitably be my murderer.

Study Tour: Beijing

DAY SIX

         We went to the Great Wall of China. AHHH!!! It’s proof that pure disregard for the rights of human beings yields wondrous results. The fall colors were fantastic and it was just the right amount of cold. We couldn’t have had a better day.

         It’s been surreal going to these places that I’ve read about in books for years. Little, fat, third grade Mackenzie who wrote her report on China would have her mind blown at the life I am living. Even I don’t believe it.

         To get up to the wall there’s this chairlift that you take, which is fun, but nothing compared to the ride down. They have alpine slides that you ride down and it was awesome!

         After that we went to a tomb that was a waste of time and money.

         Then we had our Peking duck dinner. HOLY SWEET MOSES OF EVERYTHING GLORIOUS. It was delicious. One of the best meals I have ever had (sorry Mom). This restaurant was world famous and packed full. But worry not, the bathroom was still just a building outside that had no stall walls (that was awkward).