Chengde is about a 5 hour train ride to the northwest of Beijing and is most famous for its mountain resort which is a big resort like place with a lake and temples and what not that the emperors would stay at during the summer.
I should have known it was going to be interesting trip by the way it started out. We had to take the subway to get to the train station and most of the time I don’t really pay attention to which stop we have to get off at because someone else is in charge. So we get to a stop and my friend Alex quickly says, “ok get off!”. So what does Lauren do? I get off to realize I am the only one who actually got off and see the doors close and everyone in the train laughing at me. Next thing I know I get a text saying “April fools”. Leave it to the blonde to fall for an April fools joke!
The train ride there was pretty uneventful besides all the games we played and the massage I got from a Chinese dude (he was learning to be a masseuse and I just happened to be so lucky to get a free massage). The real adventure came though when we get off the train. We decided we wanted to live life on the edge so we never booked a hotel reservation. We get off the train at about 10 at night and all looked around and said, “Now what do we do?” We bought a map and just decided to put our finger on the map and said take us there. Fortunately, there were multiple hotels in the area so we went around to about five of them till we decided one that was cheap but not disgusting (even though some of the beds did have stains on them…)
After we got situated in our fine living arrangements we decided it was finally time to eat. We ended up going to this amazing Korean bbq restaurant. You basically order all this meat and they cook it in front of you. We ate and drank like kings all for about $8. And got to sit in a cool VIP booth! Of course, it ended with us serenading the entire restaurant with Disney songs.
The next day we decided to head to the Mountain Resort. It took us a while to get our act together and actually go in because we ended up meeting some Chinese girls that wanted to be our friends. The Mountain Resort was really pretty and had a nice big lake but it would have been even better if it were summer (the temperature was probably low 60’s).
After we explored there we went to eat, played pool, and ate again. Around 11 at night we then got back on the train to go to Beijing. This time though we had hard sleepers which are basically six bunks (or benches) to a room with no doors so you are with a bunch of Chinese folks. Unfortunately, we couldn’t all get seats together so we were all dispersed around the train. We arrived in Beijing around 4 am and were all glad to be home. However, it was truly shocking to see how many people there were at the train station at 4 am. I swear Chinese people don’t ever sleep. In fact, I know they would be appalled by my sleeping habits.
On a weirder/funnier note, I was walking to a café the other day and this Chinese girl approached me and asked if I wanted to be friends. I didn’t think twice about this because it is very common for them to want to practice their English so I gave her my number. Well, I should have known this friendship wasn’t going to last when she called me (no exaggeration) 6 times in a row at 10:00 am the other morning. She then proceeded to text me numerous times. I was already extremely sketched out but then today she texted me asking if I had a camera and if I’d wanted to come to her place on Saturday. That’s when I decided to “blacklist” her on my phone. Yes, Li Qin and I will no longer be friends.
Yesterday (Monday) we didn’t have school because it was Qing Ming holiday (or tomb sweeping day). It is basically a day to remember the dead, which is exactly what I did. The weather has been getting warmer here so I sat outside on campus and reflected on all the great memories I have of those who I was fortunate enough to have in my life. May they rest in peace.
Love you all! Missing you tons.
So what do we do now?
The hotel shower/toilet..not getting the floor wet proved to be quite tricky
The first stroller I've seen in China
At the Mountain Resort
Pretty!
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