Day 5:
On our way to the Great Wall we stopped at a Kung Fu school. They put on a performance for us and then gave us a lesson. I now know a whole kung fu routine-watch out!ha Next, we began our journey to the Great Wall. We rode a cable car up to the top and then had a couple of hours to explore and walk the wall. I had always heard about the great wall and seen pictures, but it was amazing to actually be on the Wall. I don’t know how they were ever able to get all of that stone up there to build such a big wall. We hiked down a couple of towers and then rode a toboggan down the mountain, it was so fun!! We headed back into town and stopped at the Silk Market. It was floors and floors of everything from knock-off purses, watches, and clothes, to silk and linens, to suitcases, to postcards and paint! But you had to bargain for everything, it was a little overwhelming! We ended the night with a fantastic acrobatic show! These people were unreal! I could not believe the ways in which they were able to contort their bodies!

Day 6:
We left the hotel at 4:45 a.m. to catch our flight to Hong Kong. The new Beijing airport is quite a work of art and is huge! We made it to Hong Kong and our first stop was California Pizza Kitchen for some American food-finally a salad! I spent the afternoon on the free wi-fi in the mall connected to our port and I got to talk to my parents! Later that afternoon some of the girls and I met up with Vic for dinner at one of her favorite places and then she showed us around town. I have never seen so many designer stores and malls. Armani owns a whole high-rise building! Hong Kong is very materialistic, and they are open and willing to admit that. Everywhere you turn there is another shopping center!

Day 7:
The whole group met up with Vic for our personal tour of the city! We first went to the “Man Mo” temple. The entire temple had spiral-shaped incense hanging from the ceiling. It was the first temple we had been to where actual fruit and vegetables were being offered as sacrifices. Next, we walked the antique street. It was full of old Chinese memorabilia and beautiful art. We had lunch at Tsui Wah, sort of the Hong Kong version of Waffle House! Then we walked down Pottinger street- a street full of wigs, masks, and crazy costumes. It is open year around and would be the prime spot to find a great Halloween costume! Afterwards, we walked through the wet market where all of the local come to get their fresh fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables. Many of the fish are still alive. For example, we saw them cut open one fish, lay it out and the heart was still beating. They eat quite a few more parts of the animal than we do.- there were pig hearts, feet, and intestines for sale. The fruits and vegetables were beautiful! We continued on to Mong Kok to the goldfish street, flower market, and bird garden! It was really great to run around with Victoria because we saw a lot of what the locals do! Later Becca, Cara, and I met up with Sally and her boyfriend across the harbor in the IFC mall for dinner. Afterwards, we were meeting up with Vic and our other friends again to celebrate Vic’s birthday. But of course we got lost on our way…it wouldn’t be a trip if we didn’t get lost at least once!  However, it worked out because we got to ride on the longest stretch of escalators in the world to find our friends! We had a great night out and then I had the chance to spend the night at Victoria’s house! 99% of Hong Kong’s population is urban, so Victoria and her family live in a high-rise. They live on the 29th floor and have a spectacular view of the whole city of Hong Kong!

Day 8:
Victoria was spending the day at home, but I was meeting up with friends in another part of the city, so I rode to work with her dad! We explored the Won Chai district of Hong Kong, broke down and picked up McDonald’s for lunch(8 days of Chinese food was getting to us!), and then headed back to the ship for some last minute internet time! We pulled out of the Hong Kong port just as their nightly light show was going on…it was a beautiful city I was not ready to leave!

It is really strange that Hong Kong is technically now a part of China, to me it is a  totally different country. I now see why Hong Kong doesn’t include China as part of their address!
Something else very interesting about China….pedestrians do not have the right away! I was close to being road kill several times!

I think one of the most disturbing aspects of China was the dirtiness of it. I felt like people, or perhaps it was just the areas we were in, were not very hygienic. There was trash everywhere, no toilet paper in the bathrooms, and the smells were horrendous!

However, something that hit hard with me was the fact that most of China is non-religious, and if they are, they are Buddhist. I was overwhelmed by the thought of so few people, out of 1.3 billion, not knowing the love of Christ. I know it is difficult to deal with the government there, but what a mission field.
China was a lot to take in and I’m still not sure if I have fully grasped what I experienced, but I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to visit there.