Cuan Dixia and More

Last weekend we visited the Cuan Dixia Village. Cuan Dixia is a restored 18th century village in the mountains just a few hours outside of Beijing. The village, to this day, is still self-sufficient, which is what makes it such a cool tourist attraction.

The drive to Cuan Dixia reminded me a lot of driving through the mountains in Croatia last summer. The roads were just as winding and steep. Our bus driver was also slightly crazy. On a two-lane road going up the mountain, he would switch lanes into oncoming traffic to pass the slower agricultural trucks in our lane. While we were on the bus, we saw the driver in the car in front of us start vomiting and swerving in the lane. Apparently, a lot of people on our trip between our two buses got carsick as well.

After about two and a half hours, we arrived in Cuan Dixia. The village was a lot smaller than I anticipated it to be. However, there were lots of different trails and paths through the village and the mountains surrounding the village, which we were able to hike while we were there. We were able to hike to a temple above the village. When we were walking on the paths through the village, we saw mostly inns where a decent amount of tourists now spend a night when visiting Cuan Dixia. We also saw many of the villagers going about their daily lives cooking, building things, and making crafts to sell to tourists.

In Cuan Dixia, Brittany and I found a mountain that we wanted to climb. The trail was really obvious at the base of the mountain and actually led us to a small farm where we found some baby goats. They were really cute, but absolutely terrified of Brittany and I. As Brittany and I continued to climb up the mountain, the trail became a little less clear and we began to blaze our own trail. Once we got higher up the mountain, we had the most beautiful view of Cuan Dixia and the other surrounding mountains. It was also a beautiful day for hiking. I wish we could have had a bit more time at Cuan Dixia. We spent more time traveling back and forth from Beijing than we actually spent in the village.

When we got back to Shaoyuan, we all rested up in order to go out and celebrate Gill and Jay’s 21st birthdays. After grabbing dinner at the Medicine House on campus, we jumped on the subway and rode to Hou Hai, a very famous and scenic part of Beijing. Hou Hai is located on a big lake and surrounding the lack are many cafes, bars, and nightclubs. We had a blast going from place to place and hanging out by the lake.

Most of my friends have been really busy with schoolwork this week. Fortunately, I still have a few weeks before I need to start worrying about final papers, although I am still finding it hard to believe that we have just four weeks of class left before our two week end of the semester trip!

My friend, Molly’s parents and their friends are also visiting this week. Yesterday, Molly and I took them to the Silk Market to show them what shopping in China is really like. I left the silk market with two new sets of pearls, a new spring jacket, a pair of shoes, and a wallet. What a fun and successful day!

Later, Molly’s parents took a whole bunch of us out to dinner, which was so nice of them and very delicious! Last week when Jay’s parents were visiting, they took us out to dinner as well. It’s so nice to meet everyone’s parents and I have to admit that I am incredibly jealous that my family will not be coming to visit me in China, however I certainly cannot wait to tell them all about my experiences abroad. I also can’t wait for them to meet all of my friends from China who go to AU!

This morning I woke up at 4:30 AM to see Lee Lee off to prom. I am so glad that I woke up to see her because she looked absolutely stunning and I am sure she will be the prettiest girl at her prom! I think its so cool how modern technology allows me to share these special moments with my family even though I am on the other side of the world. I also had the opportunity to speak to Grandma and Grandpa Bellmore and Grandma and Grandpa Jersey today. I love telling my grandparents all about my study abroad experience and I know that they really miss me!

I am a bit disappointed because I was supposed to go to Qingdao this weekend and now I will be unable to go. Qingdao is a city about 7 hours south of here. It is located on the water and has beautiful beaches, as well as some cool German architecture, and the Tsingtao beer factory. When I tried to buy train tickets, I learned that this weekend is a Chinese holiday and so there are not as many trains running to Qingdao. In Chinese culture, people do not frequently visit the graves of their ancestors. However, on the holiday that will occur this weekend, literally translated to “grave sweeping day,” all of the Chinese people will visit the graves of their deceased relatives. Most businesses will be closed on Monday for this occasion.

A lot of my friends decided to go to Inner Mongolia this weekend to ride camels across the Gobi desert. Because this trip is incredibly expensive and I have already ridden camels through the Sahara in Egypt, I opted not to go. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous in Beijing this weekend, about 70 degrees and sunny, so I hope to do a lot of sightseeing here, which I haven’t done too much of yet. Tonight, I am having dinner with my language partner, Olivia, so that should be a lot of fun.

I will write again soon! I miss everyone at home!