Days 5 and 6
We started Day 5 at the Temple of Heaven where we learned Tai Chi...I took some great video footage that you will be able to see at some point. We spent some down time in the Temple of Heaven watching the local Chinese people--senior citizens in particular--exercise. It is interesting to see how they exercise. The elderly dance in the park, play badminton, hackey sack, and, of course, perform Tai Chi. They were very welcoming and taught Peter some dance moves: I also have that on video. Blackmail.
Climbing the Great Wall was incredible. It is surreal to be standing on something built over 2,000 years ago. There was some smog, but most of the visibility was hindered by cloud cover; it was very humid. We would climb a section thinking we were going to the top level and then when we would reach that level, we could see more stairs leading into the clouds, and we realized we had more climbing ahead of us. Reaching the top was a challenge.
After a couple hours of climbing--and some very good ice cream, we were off to a Tea Tasting Ceremony.
We finished our day at the the Silk Market. It is like a flea market of stalls with some knock off items. The group had a lot of fun negotiating prices. One of the teachers who has been a number of times taught the group how to go about it. It was like being a character cast in a play. There was a whole order of rejecting, walking away, making facial expressions, and using Chinese phrases--which I wrote on my hand to remember--and then finally settling on a price.
Our dinner involved traditional dancing and food that represented a regional people: I do not remember the name off hand.
Day 6 was our flight. Imagine organizing 61 teenagers to get through airport security. We are on our toes at all times keeping things moving smoothly, but this group is making it manageable because everyone is being very cooperative. Our bus has a great mix of kids from all six schools. When we arrived in Xi'An, we went to the City Wall where we rented bicycles and rode around the whole city. The view was amazing and the weather is really nice. It is in the mid 70s and smoggy, but we are lathered in sunblock because you still can burn easily...it is deceiving. From the wall we went to a buffet lunch, and then we checked into our hotel, which is very nice and has an amazing location in the heart of the city. We went to a hotel where most students got a 70 minute foot or body massage for $20! They put a group of people in a room and each person gets a massage chair. After all the walking and carrying luggage around, it was the perfect way to relax. After dinner, we walked in the area around the hotel, and then had curfew at 10:00.
Today, we are on our way to see the Terracotta Warriors. More to follow from Peter.
