Cing+Chong+China

[|Arriving]
August 26th, 2006
 * We arrived in Shanghai 6:20 pm (local time). It took us an hour to get through customs. We were greeted by our friend Beth. As soon as we got in the car we met Chen their driver. As soon as we hit roads of Shanghai there were people in backs of trucks on busy roads, not many people wear seat belts and there is not much safety on the roads. The air is very polluted and in Shanghai there is barely any blue sky. On the way home from the airport there was a big tropical storm with lots of lightning. Today it’s a stinker. I went out side at 8am local time and it just hits you when Beth’s house is all airconditioned. Today where going to go to get NBA jerseys in basketball shops.**

[|first days and the start of our tour]
August 31st, 2006
 * First on the Sunday we went shopping and looking around Suzhou. On Monday we went to the Supermarket on a quiet day and we thought it was busy. Their Supermarket has everything, we all bought leather Basketballs 49(rmb) their money which is about $8.50. On this day we went to the Pearl Market and all the locals were saying “You very tall”. On Tuesday we flew to Beijing, it was a two hour flight. We checked into the hotel. Yesterday we went to the Temple of Heaven. It was there where the Emperor prayed for the country and good harvest. Next we caught the bus to Tiannamen Square. Tiannamen Square can hold 1 million + with people standing in the square (which is 10 times the crowd of the MCG). We went to the Forbbiden City and it is MASSIVE. In the Afternoon we went in a Rickshaw ride and had Lunch in a local’s house. Last night we went to the Acrobats and it was amazing. The meals that we’ve had in Beijing, Pecking Duck and an average family meal. How did the Distict Basketbal go today? I’II tell you about the wall next time. Keep in touch.**

[|More adventures]
September 3rd, 2006
 * Hello from Xian. ( said Sian ) On Thursday we went tothe Great Wall. It took3 hours to get there. We went to a less touristy area of the wall. We climbed to the 8th watch tower. It was sweaty work and took us one hour. On Friday we went to the Summer Palace. It got a bit boring because I thought looked very similar to the Forbidden City. In the afternoon we went shopping and all the stuff is cheap except for Nike and Adidas gear. When we were getting a taxi back to the hotel one guy offered 100 yuan for a ride to the hotel, which is about $17. Mum said No, because she knew that was way too much. It actually cost us 35 yuan!!!**
 * On Saturday we flew to Xian. On the way from the airport to the hotel there is a wall around the inner part of Xian. It is much more intact than the Great Wall. Today we went to see the Terracotta Warriors. On the way we stopped to see where they make the replicas. Then we went to the museum and saw them all. They were amazing. Around 2 metres to 2.5 metres tall. We got to learn about how they were wrecked.**
 * From Sam**
 * P.s. I found something that I don’t like to eat, Tofu!!**
 * The pollution is like heavy fog all day.**

[|The river]
September 7th, 2006
 * On Monday (my birthday) we flew to Chongqin for our cruise on the Yangtze river. The Boat didn’t leave till the next morning. We went down the Yangtze and when we got to Fengdu, we went on a shore excursion. Fengdu is ” the city of ghosts.” The Chinese believe that when everyone dies this is the place that their spirit goes to, to decide whether the person was good or bad and whether they go to hell or paradise. It was interesting to see the old Chinese way of life. On the Second day we travelled through two of the three Gorges. After the second Gorge we got onto a ferry boat and went to a village. Then we went on an old woodern boat. The boatmen paddled about 1.5 kms and when the water got too shallow the men had to drag us with a rope. There were 17 passengers in the boat at the time. They were so strong. Today we saw the 3 Gorges Dam and it was amazing. There are locks for the boats to get down the river past the dam and it took more than 4 hours for the boat to go through all 5 locks. Luckily it was in the middle of the night so it wasn’t too boring. Today we arrrived at Yichang at midday and went to the Hotel. Tomorrow we fly to Shanghai.**

[|Looking around]
September 13th, 2006 **
 * On Saturday and Sunday we had a rest and went to two BBQs with our friends. On Monday we went to Decathlon, it’s like a big Rebel sports store. In the afternoon we went and saw an 88 metreBuddha in Wuxi.**
 * The weather at the start of our holiday was very hot and all of a sudden it dropped to 28-18, it has been raining but it’s not all that cold.**
 * On Tuesday we went to get train tickets to go and vist a friend in Nanjing for Friday. We also went to the silk market and we got to see how it all works, from the silk worm to the finished material. In the afternoon we went to Beth’s Recreation Centre to play pool . I played Jess and won every game.**
 * Yesterday we went to the Shanghai market. It was awesome. I bought: Sunglasses, NBA jersey, a present for Mr.KT, Basketball shorts, a tmac cap, a 76 ers cap, a buddha and Shoes. We also went to a street market and a 2rmb shop which is like 33cent shop. All SENIOR K will get something! It took us three hours to get back to Beth’s house, it only takes her one and half to two hours,but there was a detour and our driver had trouble finding the right road back to Suzhou from Shanghai.**
 * How did the concert go? I hope it went really well. Have a good Holiday everyone and I’ll see you in 18 more days.