The Great Wall featured, of course, lots of steps. Most at a severe incline. It's probably one of the most international tourist sites in the world. I heard at least 10 different languages spoken on the hike up. Where most people climb the great wall and some even skate it, for Robert it was just another obstacle to jump over in order to find plants. And find them he did. He came back with plastic bags of not t-shirts but of plants to show us on the bus. Mao said your not a hero until you climb the great wall... I wonder what he thought about teachers who jump it. There was a nice hook on the ride to the wall, yet again by our tour guide. We took a short detour to see a jade factory, which of course had a massive jade store attached. We all protested before going in, but yet again, most people ended up buying something (perhaps there's subliminal messaging in these places). The hook worked.

The next stop was the Summer Palace which is a good drive back from the wall. The palace is one of the largest parks in all of China and was the vacation spot for the later dynasties. The gardens and lake were a welcome haven for us, although we had to rush through it in order to fit all of the days activities. Where there is Yin there is Yang... to contrast the peace of the garden, just outside was an alley back to the bus, which we've nicknamed "swindler alley." Not only was the long alley loaded with poor merchants hounding us to buy their t-shirt knock-offs and cheap crafts, they were ready to scam the tourists. After some tour members put up a good job haggeling down the price of some goods, they found their change back to be counterfeit bills... So it is possible to get Shanghaied in Beijing.

After dinner we got to walk a few minutes around Tian An Men Square, which was lit up at night and preparing for the upcoming Mid-Autum Festival (moon cake festival).

After the square we drove to the massive Beijing train station to get aboard our sleeper train to Luoyang. Upon entering there was a huge crowd outside waiting to get in and watching someone get detained by the police. After a bout of abuse, about 5 red guards handcuffed the guy and took him away. Then we had to deal with the bottlenecking and the thousands of people laying around or rushing to get on their train. While we were all excited to hop into our soft sleeper cabin on the train, we quickly realized that after a day of hiking around without a shower, the tight quarters weren't as pleasant as we thought, especially after we took our shoes off...

written by  Benjamin Satterfield on September 16, 2005 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: China Tour Fall 2005
tagged China, Beijing, TheGreatWall, SummerPalace, TianAnMenSquare, Jade, Theft, MoonCakeFestival, Autumn, Festival, RedGuard, Luoyang and SleeperTrain
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After a big breakfast we walked through most of the Forbidden City, which is about 2 blocks from our hotel. Despite the massive reconstruction efforts there, the tour went well and it wasn't over crowded. After a few hours there we returned to the hotel. Unfortunately the acupuncture and herb museum was closed for some last minute rennovations. On the way back Robert found a bunch of common medicinal herbs simply growing around the streets and informed us what they are and used for.

After a short break, we went to see a Chinese Acrobat troop perform and had a late dinner before calling it a day. We're all tired but content and happy to be touring together.

Later, some brave travelers ventured down the street from the hotel to the night market, where u can pick up tasty treats like starfish, centipedes, scorpions on a stick...

The bank!

Finally we have discovered that China is so mega massive that there is no way we could possibly see all of it in years let alone months, though we are going to the land that brought you Spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken (as far as most takeaways are concerned).

written by  Mal and Laura on August 3, 2007 from Manchester, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: A bit of China and Vietnam
tagged China, HongKong, Planning, Manchester, Vietnam and Facts
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Bureau chief Gigi Grande, however, also said in her report that Sydney, the site of the gathering, remained on medium alert because no specific intelligence information about an attack had been received.

Special police powers are now in effect, giving policemen the right to search and detain anyone in the APEC-declared security zone whom they find suspicious.

Authorities are most concerned about two things: a terrorist attack and violent street protests.

A five-kilometer fence has been built to seal off Sydney's Opera House where most meetings are scheduled to take place.

Hospitals are also on standby.

About 200 prisoners serving minor offenses are being sent home for the weekend to make room for potentially violent protesters.

US President George W. Bush is set to arrive on Tuesday while the rest of the world leaders, including Mrs. Arroyo, are scheduled on Friday.

Climate change and the fight against terrorism are expected to top the agenda.

In Manila, a statement from the presidential palace in Malacañang said Mrs. Arroyo is all set to travel Down Under for the six-day meet.

The President will be accompanied by Cabinet and other agency officials. Meetings have been set with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand with regard to free trade deals.

Business leaders and officials of the country's biggest companies will also be with the President during the gathering.

In a related report, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Australia Monday for a seven-day state visit focussed on the Asian giant's need for mineral resources to power its booming economy.

Hu was accompanied by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai. Their planed arrived in the Western Australian city of Perth for a one-day visit on his way to attend the APEC meet in Sydney.

Hu's arrived ahead of a visit focused on the mineral and mining industry.

Hu will be the guest of honor at a dinner later Monday hosted by Western Australia Premier Alan Carpenter.

On Tuesday, he will visit the Australian Resources Research Centre near Perth, where he will hear a presentation by mining giant BHP Billiton.

China's importation of mineral resources, including uranium, to fuel its economic and industrial growth is blessing Australian miners with record profits.

China is Australia's second largest trading partner, while Australia is China's ninth. In 2006, trade between the two countries amounted to US$32.9 billion, up 20 percent from the previous year.

Hu will visit Canberra on Tuesday before heading on to Sydney where he is scheduled for a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard later in the week. The two sides are set to sign a series of trade, energy, and mineral resource deals, the China Daily newspaper reported. 上海翻译公司 http://www.oktrans.net

written by  tonyyang123 on September 3, 2007 from Shanghai, China
from the travel blog: China Trip
tagged China
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The anticipation for us kept growing and growing, especially as we came closer to the end of our final 11-hour flight back home, and I think everyone was happy and relieved to be back with family and friends.
上海同声传译 http://www.oktrans.net/industry/simultaneous.htm
Our trip -- in which we made two stops in Tokyo, stops in Hong Kong, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Wuhan, two in Beijing, and another in Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia -- has definitely helped bring our team together. We were able to achieve the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of our trip.

We also have been able to gain a great perspective on what our peers will experience in the fall foreign term to China. Eighty-one Augustana students will spend roughly 10 weeks in and around China, going through many of the same things we went through on our trip -- language barriers, different food and a still-developing Asian society are just a few of the things they will have to adapt to. Our hats go off to them, as none of us could imagine how hard it would be to be that far from home for that long.
上海同传设备出租 http://www.oktrans.net/tongchuan
This trip was an unbelievable chance for all of us to learn about a culture different from our own and I think we took full advantage. We saw first-hand the widening gap between the modernizing parts of China and rural China; witnessed the strong work ethic and motivation of their culture; saw numerous glimpses into Chinese culture (from bargaining in the markets to peoples' polite nature); and even were able to sample some of the Chinese social life. It was just an amazing adventure that none of us will ever forget.

To end this diary, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank some of the more influential people who made our trip possible. First and foremost, we would like to thank all of our parents for allowing us to take this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Without you, we realize none of this could have been possible.
同传设备租赁 http://www.oktrans.cn/simultaneous
Next, thank you to our coaching staff for dreaming up this trip and allowing us to have a great balance of basketball and "down time" for these two weeks. To all of our family and friends that helped out leading up to the trip, and those of you who stayed in contact while we were gone, thanks to you as well.

Thanks next to Augustana College, most notably sports information director Dave Wrath, who generated the idea for this diary from square one, and Augustana president Steven Bahls, whose endorsement and recognition of this great opportunity were vital to us.

Also, I would like to thank The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus, most notably sports editor Marc Nesseler and sports writer Tom Johnston, for providing the medium for the diary and offering encouragement along the way. Lastly, let me thank Dr. Norm Moline and his wife, Janet, for offering their expertise on the trip, and without whom this trip could not have happened.

I hope this diary was interesting for everyone, offered some insight into our experience, and was as much fun to read as it was to write. I also hope to see you this winter in Carver Center when my Augustana teammates and I will be playing a little bit closer to home.
source: 同声传译 http://www.oktrans.cn/price/simultaneous-interpretation.htm

written by  tonyyang123 on September 3, 2007 from Shanghaimiao Muchang, China
from the travel blog: China Trip
tagged China
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