Saturday , November 12th
I left for my trip around 10:00 AM.
My husband, Jeff, and daughter, Lindsey, took me to the airport.
My plane left at 12:10. I thought I would get some work
done on the plane, but I didn't. Between eating, watching movies, and
sleeping, the time went by pretty fast. It was a long trip to Seoul,
Korea. They have a very nice airport. I had a 2 hour layover.
I did do a little work there, but was having a hard time seeing the
page, because I was
tired. However, Susan told me not to sleep anymore from Seoul to Hong
Kong so I would sleep when I got to her house.
Sunday, November 13th
I left Seoul at 7:30 pm there time. Korea is
14 hours ahead of Georgia. The trip to Hong Kong took 3 hours and 50
minutes. Hong Kong is only 13 hours ahead of Georgia. I arrived
around 10:40 pm. Susan and her husband, Cliff , were waiting for me.
It was a very long trip but it is great to be here!
Susan and Mrs. T at the Hong Kong Airport.
Susan had me up and out today so I can get use to being on Hong Kong time. We went all around Hong Kong. We rode the train system, we walked, we took a taxi, and saw many wonderful sites. I have lots of pictures but may not have them on the website until later tonight. Hong Kong is a beautiful city with many different kinds of building, shops, markets, apartments, and high rises. I saw so many things and I can't wait to get my picture out on the website so you can see them, too. Tonight Susan and I rode the Star ferry out to Hong Kong Harbour (this is the way the British spell harbor). We saw a beautiful view of Hong Kong Island. The buildings were putting on a laser show. I need to go now because I need to go to sleep. It sounds like Susan has a busy day planned for us. Miss you all. Check the photo gallery, I have lots of pictures from my busy day downtown in Hong Kong.
Susan and I after my day in Hong Kong. I look like I might have a
little jet lag. Do you know what that means?
Tuesday, November 15th
Susan and I are going to Stanley Market
today. It is a place that you can buy many interesting things. It should
be fun. Tonight we are going on a junk (Chinese boat) to an island for
a seafood feast. Some of Susan's friends will be coming with us.
It should be a lot of fun. I will get some pictures out when I
get back. I am not sure when because the time change is still
confusing for me. Remember I am now 13 hours ahead of you.
When you look out of Susan's window you can see Hong Kong harbour. I
did not know there were so many different boats. Susan says I will see
more tonight when we go to the island. I will be sure to take some
pictures to share with you.
Do you have a good friend? Isn't fun to spend time with them. I
feel like everyone morning is my birthday, because I never know what special
thing Susan has planned for us. I love being with my friend.
It is late, but I wanted to let you know that I had so much
fun today. I just put some pictures out and I will have some more
tomorrow because Cliff took some also.
Stanley Market was very nice. I did some shopping. We rode a
double-decker bus up to what was once a small fishing village. After
shopping, we came home and rested. I needed a nap before our evening
adventure. We went out on a junk (Chinese boat). We had
two captains, a husband and wife. They were very nice and did a
great job steering our boat. Riding on the boat was very relaxing and the
weather was cool; it was a perfect night. Several of Cliff and
Susan's friends came with us. We cruised around for an hour or so and
then went to a local restaurant on an island. We had a
great meal. I tasted my first squid. Since it was my first time
eating squid, I got to make a wish. We had shrimp, scallops, fish,
broccoli ( I really liked the way they cooked it), fried rice, and fruit.
The fish we had was called Star Garoupa. One of Susan's friend is a
chef and he said that the most tender and best part of the fish is the
cheek. It is because the fish uses that muscle the most. Since I
was the special guest I got to have the cheek of the fish. He
was right it was tender and delicious. In Hong Kong when
you go to a restaurant the fish are alive. Sometimes you get to pick
the one you want. It is after midnight and I need to go to bed.
Susan has a new adventure waiting for me and I have to rest if I want to
keep up with her. She is the best! I am learning so much.
I hope you are enjoying my trip, too. It is nice to have you along.
Susan and I with the live fish at the restaurant.
Susan and I have been all over the city today. I have seen so many things and will write about them tonight. I need to take a nap because I was having technical problems last night and did not go to bed until 2:00AM and was up and about by 8:00! I have walked a lot today but it was fun. I will tell you all about it but first I need to take a nap before Susan takes me out again. I need to rest because tomorrow we leave for Beijing. Also, I have a lot of pictures to share with you so I will get the pictures up after supper. I am learning so much and can't wait to share it with all of you. But first I must sleep!
I got some of the pictures
from today on the photo gallery. Susan and I rode the train and went all
over different areas of Hong Kong. We went to the Chi Lin Nunnery.
It is a very beautiful and peaceful place. Then we went to a very
different atmosphere at a very busy Buddhist temple., called Wong Tai Sin
Temple. There were lots of people making offerings. The routine
here is to ask a question and shake the canister of sticks until one
stick falls out. Each stick has a number which corresponds to a
printed piece of paper in a set held by the temple guardian.
You take the slip of paper the temple fortune-teller who can interpret the
meaning for you. I did it and my number was 81. My fortune said
that I should not worry about everyone else and have a confidence in myself.
How close do you think she got?
From there we took the train to a very modern and very large mall and had
lunch. It looks like a mall in Georgia. Everyone was shopping
and there were beginning to decorate for the holidays. After lunch we
headed to the flower market, it was beautiful with so many different kinds
of flowers and plants. Then on to the bird market, where there were
hundreds of birds for sale plus beautiful hand craved bird cages. The
people are so friendly and try very hard to understand me. Next it was
on to the Jade Market which was filled with all kinds of jade jewelry and
many other things. Jade is a green stone. The market was in a tent with
many different shop owners. Each had there own area for their goods. Susan and
I headed back to
the train to come home. By this time I am really tired I
did not get much sleep because of the technical problems I had with the web
page.
Before going to supper, I rested and started packing for our trip tomorrow
to Beijing. I can hardly wait. We went to supper at the Yacht
Club near where Cliff and Susan live. They were having a curry
buffet. It was delicious! I have never had many of the foods.
Curry is an Indian dish. Remember the British governed Hong Kong and
India for
many years. So there is a lot of India
culture in Hong Kong. Cliff took a beautiful picture of the Hong Kong
sky line while we were at dinner.
Now it is time to finish packing, get
the information on the web pager for you guys and try and get more sleep if
that is possible. When everyday is like Christmas morning or your
birthday, it is very hard to sleep. Hope you have enjoyed the day as
much as me.
PS Please forgive me for any spelling or grammar mistakes for the last
days. I have been doing a lot every day and am tired. I want so much
for you to see what I am seeing and doing that sometimes I get in too big of
a hurry. That is why we are always telling you to edit your work and
have someone else edit it too. Actually , my husband, Jeff, is editing
my work by reading and then emailing me and telling me what I am doing
wrong. I really thank him for doing it.
It is the day we are going to Beijing. We are leaving the apartment and going by the Airport Express. We will check our bags there and then go to the airport of the train. Hong Kong has an awesome train system. It is fast and only cost about $ .25 to ride. Our flight leaves at 11:15 AM and it will take about 4 hours. We are flying Dragon Air. Isn't that cool? I can't believe that I am really going to see the Great Wall of China and the others wonderful places in Beijing. I know Susan has some surprises for me. She is so much fun. I can't wait to share our adventure with you. I will be using my computer in Beijing so I hope I will be able to make a video cam and say talk to you in person. I need to go and get ready for our trip. I will talk to you soon.
The MTR - Mass Transit Railway
We arrived in Beijing around 3:30 pm. Susan's friend, James,
met us at the airport and brought us to the hotel. We put up our stuff
and 20 minutes later headed out to see Beijing. The first place we
went was Tianmen Square where we saw the Memorial to People's Heroes,
the Great Hall of the People, and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. We
walked around. People were flying kites. We also saw a sign for
the 2008 Olympics because they will be held in Beijing. Next
we went to a evening market in downtown on Wang Fu Jing Street where they
were selling food from all the 29 Providences in China. We tried some
of the foods. My favorite was the lamb on a stick that was grilled and
had a special cumin seasoning. It was great!!. It comes from the
western part of China, Sinkiang. They also had something like a
candy apple except it was a stick with crab apples with candy over it.
It was pretty good, too. For dinner we went to a local restaurant for
noodles. Noodles are a favorite food in China. Then back to the
hotel.
I am having trouble sending things on the computer because of the internet
access. I decided to go to bed before 11:00 pm because we are having a
busy day tomorrow. I hope to get some information out from James'
office in the morning.
James and I are eating the candy apples at the food market. Pretty good! What do you think the weather is in Beijing?
Today we met James for breakfast and then headed to Tianmen Square again to go to through Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. Some people had flowers to honor him. Everyone was very quiet and respectful as they went through the Mausoleum. Do you know why Chairman Mao is important in China's history?
Next, Susan and James had a surprise for me. We went to a primary school. It was so fun to see all the children. It made me realize how much I miss all of you. I met the computer teacher at the school and saw her computer lab. A class came in and I got to see the students working on their project. They were all very nice and polite. I was very impressed with what they could do. The teacher and I exchanged email addresses. I hope that maybe we can become keypals and share projects. Next we went to an art class. Each table was working on designing a costume out of paper. The students were having a good time. It reminded me of you in Mrs. Hutsenpillar's class.
Then it was on to the Forbidden City. This was the home of the Emperor and his family. It is a complex of 183 acres. Altogether there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Forbidden City. It took quite a while to walk through. It was beautiful.
We were hungry by now and decided to go get a meal typical of Beijing. James took us to a local restaurant where we had sticky rice, lotus root, pea cake which was yellow, and gingili which was round and had bean stuffing. We also had beef noodles. I am getting better with the chop sticks.
Our next stop was the Temple of Heaven, the jewel of Ming Dynasty architecture, which is one of Beijing's most famous images. Its silhouette is an emblem of the city. It has several parks which included the Round Altar and the Echo Wall. I really like the blue color that was used in the design.
at the Temple of Heaven Park
We have come back to the hotel. We are tired. I am in James' office trying to send this information to you so you can see some of Beijing. I am not sure that I will be able to get pictures in today. I will try. I need to get to bed early tonight because tomorrow we go to the Great Wall. I did not realize that the Great Wall is 2 1/2 hours Northeast of Beijing. I really will have to dress warm tomorrow.
I know you guys get out today for Thanksgiving break. I hope you all have a wonderful vacation. I will continue sending information while I over here so I hope you will continue on the trip with me while you are at home.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Today we were off early for the Great Wall. It took us 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to the parking lot to walk up to the Great Wall. Before we got there I got a glimpse of the wall from the car. It was breath taking. I could not believe that I was really here. We had to walk up a steep section before we got to the gondola that we would ride to the wall. The view going up made you realize how far up the wall is located. When we got to the top, the sight of the Great Wall was more that I ever dreamed. It was beautiful atop the mountains and went for miles and miles. As I looked at the wall, I had to think about all the people that helped build this wall. The Great Wall is tribute to those who worked and dead to build this great masterpiece.
After eating some snacks and having sometime to drink, we headed to the Ming Tombs. There are 13 emperors buried in this 45 sq. km area. The tomb of Emperor Wan Li at Ding Ling is opened. We walked through the underground passageways and caverns. Leading up to the tombs, Spirit Way, has 12 sets of fantastic stone animals and 12 stone faced statutes of generals, ministers, and officials. The statues were very large and impressive.
Next we went to the University to pick up James’ son, Michael. We walked around the University. We saw the library and some classrooms. We also saw Michael’s dorm room. It was a very nice University.
Then we were off to James’ house. His wife, mother-in-law, and sister made dinner for us. It was delicious. I did not know what everything I ate was, but it was very good. She made four different kinds of dumplings. It was so very nice that they invited us to dinner. They are a very nice family. I am glad to have made some new friends.
After dinner it was back to the hotel. Susan and I were tired. After taking showers and putting on our pjs, Susan watched TV and I am working on the web page. I hope to go to James’ office in the morning to put this up on the web.
Tomorrows plans are to go to Susan’s
favorite market and then on to the Summer
Palace. Susan says it should not be so cold tomorrow because we will be
going south. I don’t think I will need my long, silk underwear. It was
great today, because it was cold!
If you did not know, President Bush is in
Beijing too. We have not seen him, but
the traffic was pretty bad tonight. Traffic in Beijing is very crowded
anyway. A lot of people ride on bikes. Beijing is a very large city. It
has 9 million people in Beijing and about 3 million people in the
surrounding areas. Is that bigger or smaller than Atlanta?
Sunday, November 20th
Today we are headed to the Panjiayuan Market (also know as the Dirt
Market). Susan loves this market. She is very excited that we are going.
Then on to the Summer
Palace and who know what surprises James and Susan have in store for the rest
of the day. We leave to go back to
Hong Kong on Monday. I don’t know if
I will be able to put information on the web page again until I get to Hong
Kong. I will have to see how it goes.
Today we are headed to the Panjiayuan Market
(also know as the Dirt Market). Susan loves this market. She is very excited
that we are going. Then on to the Summer Palace and who know what surprises
James and Susan have in store for the rest of the day. We leave to go back
to Hong Kong on Monday. I don’t know if I will be able to put information on
the web page again until I get to Hong Kong. I will have to see how it goes.
The Panjiayuan Market was awesome! There were hundreds of small shops in
this open air market. The market is only on Saturday and Sunday. There were
so many beautiful things. Most of the items were hand made. It was so much
fun to watch Susan. She loves the market and experienced at bartering. It
was so great to see the market through her eyes. Susan would barter first
and then if needed she would bring in the big guns, James. Then James would
barter. If they couldn’t agree on a price then we would walk away. If the
vendor really wants to sell the item they will find you. That is exactly
what happened to me. I wanted to buy some embroidered fabric and the lady
would not agree on my price. I walked away. About 15 minutes later she came
to find me. We went back to her area and bartered again. Finally we came up
with a price that we both would agree. She was very
nice and allowed us to take her pictures. I wish we bartered for things in
the US. The people at the market were very nice and friendly. I could have
stayed and stayed, but we decided that we had bought enough. We had to
remember that we have to get it on the plane back to Hong Kong. Then I have
to get it back to Georgia. Could be interesting!
Susan and James surprised me for lunch by taking me to a restaurant for
Peking duck. Why do they call it Peking duck and not Beijing duck?
It was wonderful. The restaurant staff was very helpful by showing me how
you eat the duck when it came. I believe we had five different courses and I
like most of them. The chef bought out the duck and cut it in front of us. I
had always heard of Peking duck but had never had it. I liked it and would
like to try in the states and see how it compares to the Peking duck in
Beijing.
Next we were off to the Summer Palace. This was a beautiful area that the Emperor used from the end of May until the end of August to escape the heat of the city. These are the hottest months in Beijing. The Summer Palace is a royal garden and was the playground of the royal court. I found it to be peaceful and beautiful with all the trees and plants. If I had lived in the Forbidden City, I would have been so excited when it was time to go to the Summer Palace. There is a big lake and lots of area to run and play. It would have been a great place to be if you were a kid.
After the Summer Palace, we went to find a store that one of Susan’s
friends had visited. Unfortunately, it had moved but we found some other fun
stores to visit. Both of us even found something to buy. What a surprise!
Then it was back to the hotel to take all of new treasures and to have
dinner. James had another surprise for us. He had gotten us tickets to an
aerobatic show. It was incredible. The music was fun and the stunts that the
gymnast did were breathtaking. Susan and I really enjoyed the entertainment.
Back in the hotel, Susan and I are trying to figure out how to get all of
our treasures back to Hong Kong. Susan is an experienced packer and some how
she figured out how to get us, our clothes, and our new items back to Hong
Kong. I certainly hope she will be able to figure out how to get me back to
Georgia!
Another great day, how will I ever be able to go back to normal? This trip
has been more than I ever dreamed. I have loved getting to know the people
of Beijing. They have been gracious, friendly, and very open to this
strange, gray-haired woman. I thank them for allowing me to enjoy their city
and learn about their culture and its history.
Tomorrow we head back to Hong Kong. Susan has already had me pack. We will meet James for breakfast and then I will go to his office and hopefully upload my information to the webpage. I will miss Beijing but I still have 3 days left. Tuesday we are headed back to the mainland, Shenzhen. I feel there is shopping in my future!
Beijing from our hotel window
Today we head back to Hong Kong. We are again flying Dragon Air. Our flight leaves around 12:30 pm so we will leave for the airport by 9:30 pm. Susan likes to be there 2 hours before the flight so we won’t have any problems.
We will get back to Hong Kong 4:30 pm and will go back to Susan’s apartment. We are having dinner with Cliff at his Conference Center. That should be fun.
I will try to catch up the web page tonight if I can. I have left some of my pictures blank because I want to get them out so you could see them.
Tomorrow we head to the mainland China again. I will use my second entry of the visa I got here. Several of Susan’s friends are going with us. We will ride the train. It sounds like it will be a girls day out. I am looking forward to it.
Today was a busy day. Susan and I left around 9:00 am and met some of her friends at the train. We went into Mainland China to a place called Shenzhen. When we arrived, we went into a five story building that looked like a mall. There were hundreds of stores selling fabric, pearls, pocketbooks, clothes, electronic items, and about anything you can think. We shopped until lunch and then we all went to a restaurant for Chinese food. It was very good. Then it was back to shopping. We left around 3:30 and headed back to the train. I have enjoyed getting to know some of Susan's friends. That are all very nice and come from different places around the world.
Susan and Cliff took me a beautiful restaurant on top of the peaks ( the mountain that surround Hong Kong) The restaurant overlooks Hong Kong. It has a beautiful view. We had a very good dinner. I ate Singapore noodles which I had just discovered at lunch today. They are very good. After dinner, we went up to the roof of the building to look at the view. Cliff took our picture.
When we got home, Susan and I began to help me pack. I have been buying Christmas presents and I had to buy another bag to help me get my gifts back home. There are so many beautiful things in China that I want to bring everyone a piece of China with me. I may have to mail a box back home also.
Tomorrow, Susan and I have a lot of errands to do before I leave. I will be taking the Airport Express to the airport tomorrow night. It is a great way to get to the airport. You check your bags at the Airport Express and they get them to the airport. This will help Susan and Cliff so that won't have to go all the way to the airport to take me. My flight leaves at 12:01 AM. Hopefully, they will be back in the apartment asleep when my plane leaves.
I can't believe it is time to leave. These 10 days have gone by very fast. I have seen so many wonderful places, met so many nice people, and learned so much about the country of China. I hope I can remember everything! Susan and I are doing lots of errands today. I have some things to pick up and some things to order. I am hoping I am going to be able to get home! I may not be able to write anymore until I get home. It may not be until Friday. I have a feeling my jet lag will hit sometime on Thursday. Hopefully, I won't fall asleep in my turkey and dressing!!
I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I arrived in Atlanta at 9:30 AM. It took almost 1 hour and a half to get through customs and get back up to my luggage. My husband, Jeff, and my daughter, Jordan, were waiting for me. I had not seen Jordan since September. My other two girls ran the half marathon and came to the airport and meet us when they finished. It was so nice to have my whole family there to meet me.
Jordan, Mrs. T, Merritt, and Lindsey
Mrs. T and her husband, Jeff
They had followed my trip on the website but still
wanted to know all about it. We left the airport and went to breakfast
at Waffle House. Not a lot of restaurants are open on
Thanksgiving Day. When we got home, I unpacked, took a
shower, and then tried to take a nap before we left for Thanksgiving Dinner
at Debbie's. I woke up, got dressed and we headed to
Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone wanted to know about my trip. It
was fun sharing my stories of Hong Kong and Beijing. We had a
delicious dinner and it was great being with family.
Thanksgiving 2005
I did not fall asleep in my turkey and dressing! Everyone was amazed that I was not too tired. I came home, took a shower and went to bed. I was tired! I hope to get back to regular routine and back on Georgia time in a day or so. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
This will be my last entry in my daily journal. My trip is over and I am back home with my family. It is hard to believe that just 2 days ago I was in China. I had a wonderful trip and I would like to share with you something that I realized. People are people, no matter where they are. We all breath and have a heart that beats. It doesn't matter what color our skin, where we live in the world, what our religion, or what our government. We are all people of the world. We all want what is best for our families. We want to do our best in our work. We want our children to be educated, we laugh and we cry. If everyone would take the time to learn about each other, to find what our similarities are, and to embrace our differences then maybe someday, we could live peacefully together in our world.
I want to thank Susan and Cliff for giving me this wonderful opportunity to come to China. They gave me a place to stay, they fed me, they introduced me to a new culture, they included with their friends, and they changed my life. Thank you doesn't seem to put into words how much all of this has meant to me. They are truly kind and generous people. Susan is my hero. Every day she tries to help world peace by doing something nice for other people. She makes everyone feel special and feel that they matter is this world.
I, also, want to thank my family for encouraging me to go on this trip and for pushing me out of the nest. They support gave me the strength to take this trip.
I want to thank James and his family for showing the real Beijing. James showed me the local people of the city. His family opened up their home to me and made me feel very welcomed. I have made friends in Beijing.
I want to thank the people of China for welcoming me to their country. They were friendly and caring. They allowed me share in their culture and learn about their history.
I want to thank all of you that followed this virtual field trip. I know it is not as good as being their in person but I hope you enjoyed being with me because I truly loved sharing my trip with you.
This was not only a trip of a lifetime but it was a
life changing experience. Don't ever give up on your dreams. If
you can dream it, it can happen. My whole life I have wanted to see
the Great Wall of China. With my friend, Susan's help, my dream became
a reality. Don't ever give up! There is always hope.
Love,
Mrs. T
Dreams do come true!
Mrs. T on the Great Wall of China