China; All The Pictures in The Flickr Album

Day Two – Ming Tombs & The Wall!

Day started for us at 7 when we were greeted by a variety of strange and wonderful foods… including popcorn chicken, noodles, spicy chicken, Chinese pancakes and samosas on a Lazy Susan (or as we like to call it Sloppy Susan).

We left at 8:15 for our day out where we were taught basic mandarin reading and pronunciation.

After a two hour journey we finally arrived at the Ming Tombs where our tour guide Gary (Gazza) gave us various pieces of information about it. As we walked through the gateway to heaven boys were instructed to walk through with their left leg first, girls with their right leg. On our exit we had to say “I am coming back”. This signifies we have exited heaven and returned to earth. Once inside ‘heaven’ we were surrounded by beautiful architecture vastly different from what is located in the UK. This was things such as dragon sculptures and vibrant colours creating extravagant patterns on every building. This created an atmosphere of amazement and peace among us. Then we were taught about the many emperors who ruled over China and made it what it was today. We looked and read about their lives which is surprisingly different from modern life, for example having over 80 wives plus mistresses.

After lunch, we headed up to the Great Wall via cable car. Once there, we started to free roam, exploring one of the most breath-taking sights in the world.
Although, it was more difficult than it looked due to the uneven surfaces and we got hot from the sun which was rather unexpected. But it was most definitely worth it!
We then queued in anticipation, awaiting the chance to toboggan down the mountain in which the wall was situated, it was exhilarating and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

• The journey back was filled with heavy constant traffic due to the weekend car allowance but we eventually arrived at our dinner reservation where we were served with chicken feet, noodles and vegetables. Once everyone was full and the food was gone, we shopped in a local supermarket, stocking up on treats for tomorrow’s train journey. At the end of the night, everyone has gone to bed from a fun filled day!

Hannah's China Trip Day One – Travelling, Temple of Heaven & Evening Entertainment

Below is a copy of the post on the school travel blog about the first day of Hannah's school trip to China. Thursday 24 - Friday 25 March 2016.

The plan was for the students to write a daily blog… update on the things we have been doing, sights we have been seeing and the food we’ve been eating. We hadn’t counted on tiring them out so much by 8pm on day one that they have all gone to bed. So todays blog entry is from the staff who are holding in there… just about.

After an early 5:15 arrival at school and over 20 hours travelling we arrived in Beijing to sunshine and headed straight to our first destination, The Temple of Heaven. The first stop was the communal outdoor gym, where young and old were exercising together. We caused a bit of a stir, and were treated like celebrities as local people queued to have ‘selfies’ with us. It was great to see the community spirit, from Matchmaker corner to gossip corner and the street performers and groups sitting together making music and playing games. We were able to see the amazing temple itself, and learnt a lot about Chinese culture and beliefs.

On to the food! After our walk we were all ready for lunch. We were given our own private room in a local restaurant where everyone enjoyed getting to grips with chopsticks whilst waiting for the food. Once the food started it never stopped! The main ingredient on offer was duck however there was no shortage of beef, pork, chicken, rice, greens, dumplings and noodles. Everyone agreed the food was amazing and we think it’s safe to say hunger is not going to be an issue on this trip!

After a short comfort break at the hotel – bag drop and shower, we headed out for a cultural extravaganza! An acrobatic performance which was absolutely stunning and somewhat terrifying at times. No health and safety regulations obvious here. The finale involved 6 motorcycles in a wire ‘wall of death’. The noise of the engines, the flashing lights and the sound of the horns meant we were all on tenterhooks to ensure they all exited safely. A real authentic experience.

Then there was more food..dumplings, rice and sweet and sour pork. After that pleas for bed. Never has an entrance lobby of a hotel emptied so fast by 26 teenagers heading to bed at 8pm without a whimper.

So here ends day 1..tomorrow we’re off to the Great Wall!!