Today was mostly a travel day. We had to wake pretty early to get on the bus and head to the airport. At the airport we spent some time playing card games and chatting. One poor student accidentally left his passport and boarding pass at a store where he had purchased a drink or something. Fortunately for him, another student saw it and picked it up for him. 
On the plane I sat next to a couple of older ladies that came to Tokyo from Beijing to visit Tokyo Disney. They were friendly and even ended up taking some video of me because I could speak Chinese. I am surprised at how just beginning to speak Chinese again brings back so much. I need to work a lot harder to keep my Chinese up, but I was relieved somewhat when I found that a fair amount of it started coming back as soon as I began interacting with these two older ladies.
On the flight I tried to take some time to write up my experiences from Japan. The previous blogging I have done to this point were mostly composed on the flight from Japan to Beijing. On the
flight, I was able to sit on the upper deck. Although that was interesting as I had never flown upstairs before, it really wasn’t anything special.
When we got to China we were, of course, immediately greeted by the smog and humidity. As we bused from the airport to our hotel I couldn’t believe how much Beijing had changed just since I was last there in 2000. Not just in preparation for the Olympics, there are a LOT more skyscrapers than were here last time I was. Unfortunately, there are a lot more cars as well and traffic was slow and the air quality just awful.
Prior to hitting our hotel, we stopped at a silk market. The Chinese people have definitely developed a knack for bartering style markets. At this market I did pick up a set of Terra Cotta Soldiers that are just a little bigger than my last set. It was something I wanted. I also bought a bunch of ties for just over a buck. I was surprised that so many of the merchants were willing to take American dollars. I was glad that I had followed the advice and brought so many Ones from home. Thanks again to mom for getting the ones from the bank for me.
One thing for certain, our hotel here is the nicest place I have ever stayed. It is absolutely amazing. The lobby is breathtaking! Our room is very nice also, but especially impressive is the gym/swimming pool area. This is a high class joint for sure.
Shortly after arriving we went down for dinner in the hotel. A couple that lives here in Beijing and has raised their children abroad was there to discuss the pros and cons of business in China as well as raising an LDS family in Asia. They also brought their son who is currently doing an internship in Beijing and is a junior at BYU. One of the students in this group also had a brother stationed here in China
who joined us for dinner. He is an economic analyst and seemed to be quite a whiz!
The dinner was okay, unfortunately, it was Szechuan style which is a little too spicy for my taste. It does seem that the more the Chinese people try to impress with the dishes they make, the less I enjoy them. Here’s hoping we can get down to the good food the rest of the trip.
It is so interesting how much emotion comes back being in China. I have feelings towards the Chinese people that I can’t explain or even fully understand myself. It is so moving to be here again. It is also so heartbreaking to see the poverty of some of the people.
This is a land that needs the gospel. I know that the teachings of Christ would go a long way in changing the overall make-up of this land.
Oh by the way, I just heard that my friend Todd Rhodes has posted a few comments and pictures from this trip also. You should check out http://www.ficklematter.blogspot.com
On the plane I sat next to a couple of older ladies that came to Tokyo from Beijing to visit Tokyo Disney. They were friendly and even ended up taking some video of me because I could speak Chinese. I am surprised at how just beginning to speak Chinese again brings back so much. I need to work a lot harder to keep my Chinese up, but I was relieved somewhat when I found that a fair amount of it started coming back as soon as I began interacting with these two older ladies.
On the flight I tried to take some time to write up my experiences from Japan. The previous blogging I have done to this point were mostly composed on the flight from Japan to Beijing. On the
flight, I was able to sit on the upper deck. Although that was interesting as I had never flown upstairs before, it really wasn’t anything special.When we got to China we were, of course, immediately greeted by the smog and humidity. As we bused from the airport to our hotel I couldn’t believe how much Beijing had changed just since I was last there in 2000. Not just in preparation for the Olympics, there are a LOT more skyscrapers than were here last time I was. Unfortunately, there are a lot more cars as well and traffic was slow and the air quality just awful.
Prior to hitting our hotel, we stopped at a silk market. The Chinese people have definitely developed a knack for bartering style markets. At this market I did pick up a set of Terra Cotta Soldiers that are just a little bigger than my last set. It was something I wanted. I also bought a bunch of ties for just over a buck. I was surprised that so many of the merchants were willing to take American dollars. I was glad that I had followed the advice and brought so many Ones from home. Thanks again to mom for getting the ones from the bank for me.
One thing for certain, our hotel here is the nicest place I have ever stayed. It is absolutely amazing. The lobby is breathtaking! Our room is very nice also, but especially impressive is the gym/swimming pool area. This is a high class joint for sure.
Shortly after arriving we went down for dinner in the hotel. A couple that lives here in Beijing and has raised their children abroad was there to discuss the pros and cons of business in China as well as raising an LDS family in Asia. They also brought their son who is currently doing an internship in Beijing and is a junior at BYU. One of the students in this group also had a brother stationed here in China
who joined us for dinner. He is an economic analyst and seemed to be quite a whiz!The dinner was okay, unfortunately, it was Szechuan style which is a little too spicy for my taste. It does seem that the more the Chinese people try to impress with the dishes they make, the less I enjoy them. Here’s hoping we can get down to the good food the rest of the trip.
It is so interesting how much emotion comes back being in China. I have feelings towards the Chinese people that I can’t explain or even fully understand myself. It is so moving to be here again. It is also so heartbreaking to see the poverty of some of the people.
This is a land that needs the gospel. I know that the teachings of Christ would go a long way in changing the overall make-up of this land.Oh by the way, I just heard that my friend Todd Rhodes has posted a few comments and pictures from this trip also. You should check out http://www.ficklematter.blogspot.com
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