Annie Bower - The Travel Log Blog

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It's midnight and I just ate lunch. Jet lag is keeping me awake, so I might as well blog. After 36 hours of travel I arrived at the Pittsburgh Airport at about 5:30 am. As we landed I clapped to myself and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you God for bringing me home safe." I rushed through the airport with butterflies in my stomach to find my Mom, Dad, sister, and brother waiting for me with a big sign and American flags.

It was a sweet homecoming with hugs and tears all around.

We enjoyed a breakfast at Cracker Barrel then drove the two hours to my home in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

There are several new buildings and businesses in our little town, but it does not seem to have changed too much. As I walked into my house I breathed in familiar scents; I was finally home. It seems surreal to be in the presence of my family that I have missed and prayed for all year. We have laughed and talked and shared stories for the past two days; I love it. The most overwhelming part of my day came when I went to get a cell phone...so many choices. I know I should care about which phone I should choose, but I felt so out of it as far as what is now available. I ended up saying to the salesman, "I don't care what phone I get. Which one would you suggest?" So now I have a cell phone, but I often forget I have it and don't think to take it with me.
For dinner my mom prepared a "special meal" to welcome me home. I pulled the cloth off of the soup dish and laughed and screamed to find chicken feet.

Our real dinner was delicious homemade vegetable soup.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. I know I have a lot to be giving thanks for this year.

What's Going On in Hong Kong

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have been in Hong Kong for the past 3 days after a 25 hour train ride from Beijing. I have been busy with debrief meetings, working on pictures and blogs. I posted Blogs from the 13^th of October until today, so if you are interested you can check them out. If not, don't worry about it. I really don't like to leave projects unfinished and I did not want to leave any readers wondering about our experiences in China. I also wanted to complete my blogs for myself, so I could process and remember what we experienced.

Now I want to focus on processing this year and I want to spend as much time as possible with the other World Racers. I may not do many more blogs in order to make good use of my time. I am kind of mourning the loss of blog writing. I have enjoyed sharing my experiences, so I hope you have enjoyed them too.

It is getting harder every day for me to sleep and to sit still. My mind is racing with thoughts about seeing family and friends and about saying goodbye to friends and a lifestyle. Please keep us in your prayers as we wrap up the year. We are debriefing until Friday and then I fly home on November 19^th and 20^th. I will probably be sprinting through the Pittsburgh airport to see my family.

The Secret Great Wall of China

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The main reason we traveled so far to Beijing was to see The Great Wall of China. We were given a choice to go to the touristy section of the wall which would involve less of a hike but tons of tourists or the "Secret Wall" where we would avoid the tourists and see better views. Thankfully the group chose the Secret Wall. Our bus drove out of the city and into the mountains we passed the wall that was stacked right on tippy top of the mountains. We saw hordes of tourists scaling the stairs to the top of the wall in two different portions, but our bus continued into the mountains. The mountains turned into hills and eventually we drove down into a village. Our bus scraped the bottom of a sign over the road, which was the first sign that not many tourist buses make it to this section of the wall.

The bus stopped on a random nondescript road. We were told to get out and hike, but we never passed a ticket vendor or any sign that we were headed to the Great Wall of China.

As I looked at the hills I started to get nervous that we were dooped into a poor substitute for the real wall. We hiked for about 20 minutes up steep rocky trails and finally we got a glimpse of the wall at the top of the mountain. After another 10 minutes we reached the wall; which was definitely not remodeled at all. The rocks were crumbled and plants grew threw the cracks. As we stood at the top of the wall we looked out into a spectacular view of rows of mountains.

To my left the wall climbed up a steep hill. To my right the wall curved left and right as it rode the mountain peaks.

The wind whipped at us and I felt like I was at the top of a ski slope. No longer did I feel disappointed about the Secret Wall. We climbed around the tower at the wall snapped pictures and shivered with the wind then our guide pointed for us to continue along the wall.

We walked along the wall made of large rocks, but really had to watch our footing, because most of the wall was crumbling away.

We made it to another tower and I expected that we would sit for a little while then go back the way we came, but the guide pointed for us to continue on. I cannot believe how many rocks and people were required for the building of the wall. It is a very visual example of the man power of China. However, as I walked along the wall I thought, "This is the coolest and most insensible wonder of the world." The wall was built for defense, but I don't know how it would really keep enemies out.

It rests on steep rocky and perilous peaks that would have been very dangerous for the construction crews. I wonder, were the Chinese more protected by the wall or did more Chinese people loose their lives due to the building of the wall?

The path on top of the wall was rather treacherous, so our group was spread out. We thought we may need to turn around, so we waited for our guide, but he told us to continue. A very steep gravely hill sent many of the World Racers sliding down on their butts, but no one was injured.

At the bottom we ran into a man carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back. He was the only person we saw along the trail. After about 3 hours of hiking on the wall I took a few last glimpses of the mountains and the wall then we climbed down into the village for lunch.

As I rode back on the bus I replayed the images of the day in my head. What an amazing experience. I am so grateful for the many experiences we have had this year.

I Love My Salt Girls

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning we woke up to such a beautiful blue sky with little smog, so Morgan, Candice, Emilie, and I decided to check out the Summer Palace. We took a city bus across the city of Beijing which took an hour and a half. Not only is the city large in population (17 million), but it is rather spread out. Once again with no guide to lead us around and tell us about the palace we learned very little about its history or function. But, it was really nice to take our time to walk around the beautiful lake and through the trees with friends.

We were blessed with the smells and sights of fall as some of the leaves were changing colors. We walked and talked and laughed together as we enjoyed the beautiful location. We were asked by many Chinese tourists for pictures. At one point the four of us had about a 10 minute photo shoot as a line of people jumped in to pose for a shot with us. We also opted to dress up and snap a few shots in some traditional garb.

We left the Summer Palace and hailed a taxi to go to the Olympic Stadium. A lady helped us into a taxi. But, I am proud of us for realizing that it was a tourist taxi charging more than the regular taxi. Our regular taxi took us to a freeway then motioned for us to get out. We walked down the freeway as cars zoomed passed us. I am a big fan of the Olympics and I have to admit I got a little chocked up as we approached the Beijing Olympic stadium. I am not a connoisseur of stadiums, but I think the bird's nest shape stadium is the most beautiful sports venue in the world. It is still far from completion, so we were only able to walk up to the fence to snap some shots. I wonder how they will complete the stadium on time, because all of the workers were enthralled with the tourists. The workers stared at us and took just as many pictures of us as we were taking of the stadium with their cell phones. It is going to be so fun to watch the 2008 Olympics and to learn more about Chinese culture through the stories of the athletes.

We hailed another taxi to the subway; which took us to the Silk Market. The Silk Market is a four story mall set up with rows and rows of vendors selling clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs. As I walked down the aisles the vendors tried to entice me into their stores, "Hello Beautiful Girl, I have a good deal for you, good quality, very cheap." The vendors would start out at a price that was 10 times the actual price and in order to get them to a reasonable price I had to bargain. Sometimes I like the game of bargaining. Sometimes it is really frustrating. The vendors at the Silk Market liked to grab my arm when I decided I didn't want to buy an item and I would have to yank myself away from them. After a year of fluid prices I am ready to walk into a store to see price tags.

Classic Beijing Tour

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have never seen so much smog as we did when we rode through Beijing to our hostel. The sun was out, but could barely be seen behind all of the polluted air. We are staying in a hostel in the hutongs; which are also known as the urban villages. The maze of hutong houses and alleys are slowly being demolished to build skyscrapers and big apartment buildings.

After settling into the hostel Candice, Morgan, Emilie, and I decided to check out Tiananmen Square. A short walk after our hostel we arrived in the square with traditional Chinese buildings sitting at all sides of the large open square. When I think of Tiananmen Square I think of the students that were killed when protesting. There were so many Chinese tourists. I wonder what they think of when they visit the square.

We decided to go ahead and visit the Forbidden City while we had time, but did not get a guide to help us through the site. I wish that we would have paid for the guide, because we gained very little information about the place by simply walking through it. All I know about the Forbidden City came from my grandpa's stories and the movie The Last Emperor. There were so many people and so many tour groups. Many people asked to get their picture with us, so that was rather funny.

Many of the buildings in the vast palace were being remodeled for the Olympics which start in 275 days.

There are clocks all over China with a countdown to the opening ceremony. We walked and walked around the Forbidden city and I was impressed with the size of the place and the intricate details. Everything seemed to be embellished with decorative carving or painting.

Ready to Go Home

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today I am completely ready to be done with The World Race. This feeling started this morning when I tried to turn my laundry in to be washed. I was told the hostel does not do laundry even though I have had it done before. I was annoyed, but went straight to the lady doing laundry. She was not easy to communicate with. After a frustrating conversation she took my clothing and I am hoping I get it back in time for our trip to Beijing. Then I went down for breakfast. I was charged 8 RMB rather than 6. I tried to dispute the price, but they were already not happy with my due to the laundry discussion. So I paid then left the hostel. We have tickets to take a 29 hour train to Beijing. We will be sharing our cubicles with random people and none of us have bottom bunks. At first I was going to get a middle bunk, but things changed and once again I am on the top bunk. The worst part is that we have no idea where to go to catch the train. It is either in this city or about 2 hours away. No one has been able to give us a clear answer, so we are hoping that we make the correct decision. If we miss the train we loose our money and our chance to go to Beijing. The trains were hard enough to navigate last trip and we had a guide. I am feeling a little frustrated and ready to go back to where I can communicate.

This evening we took a taxi to a bus that took us two hours to a city where we took another taxi to the bus. Communication was a struggle along the way, but we were eventually able to navigate to where we needed to be. Our train turned out to be 38 hours long with a total traveling time of 41 hours. The top bunk was not too bad, but I could have done without the hacking and coughing.

A Tough Job

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning after I had some time to myself I walked out to shop at some of the street vendors. I stopped to buy at one of the booths and started bargaining with the lady. I started out really low and she started really low. I was willing to pay 15, but wanted to see if she would go for 10. She kept saying 15. I started to walk away and she asked me to come back, so I walked back and she said 25. Of course I refused and asked why she raised her price instead of lowering it. She would not lower it even when I offered to pay 15. She was laughing with me until I kept saying 15. Then she started yelling at me in Chinese and went at my neck like she had a knife in her hand and was going to cut my neck. Her face was full of such anger that I knew I would not get her down any more, so I left. Looking back I think when she was saying 15 she meant to say 50. What a frustrating job it must be to work as a vendor. They are at their booths from 10 am until after 10 pm. All day they deal with tourists that seemingly have a lot of money to blow, yet they try to pay so little for the goods being offered. Many of the vendors have a good time and joke around as they bargain, but some seem a little bitter and I can understand why. The job is all about arguing.

We met as a group for morning prayer time, but I could not stop thinking about the lady and how angry she was. The idea popped into my head to take her tea or something, but I worried that if the food was not sealed she would think I did something to it. So this afternoon I bought so iced tea and crackers and walked to her booth.

I approached her and said, "Remember me?" She grabbed the items we had been bargaining over and said, "Twenty five." I said no I don't want to buy anything I just want to give you this. I handed her the bag. She looked inside then said, "Sorry, sorry, sorry." Then she said. "Thank youokay 15." I told her I did not want to buy anything, but just wanted to make her happy. She grabbed my arm and tried to get me to buy again and I was tempted due to the price, but wanted her to know that I really just wanted to make her day rather than get a good price. I again told her I wanted to be happy and again she said sorry as her eyes watered. I walked away leaving her at her booth with a confused look on her face.

One of My Favorite Days...I Love Mopeds

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning Andrew suggested that we rent mopeds to tour the surrounding areas. I have never driven a moped and would have preferred the exercise on a bike, but everyone wanted to ride mopeds and I thought it would be cool to try something new. With a deposit and a driver's license we were turned loose on the streets with 4 mopeds. Six of us rode with a buddy and Emilie started out by herself. It was a little nerve wracking to weave in and out of traffic and people, but eventually we made it to a main country road. I loved the looks we received as we passed locals and tourists alike on bicycles and in buses. I guess white tourists on mopeds are not a common occurrence.

We came to a tourist attraction of a mountain with a hole in it. At the bottom women carrying coolers with drinks, fans, and umbrellas joined us. They said it would take 20 minutes to get to the top. From looking at the top I did not think it would be possible to climb all the way to the top in twenty minutes and thought maybe we would get to a look out spot.

At the bottom of the hill the water carried by the ladies cost 2 yuan, but they climbed with us and so did the prices. After an endless amount of stairs we reached the hole in the mountain and the water cost 10 yuan, but I got her down to 5. I figured she deserved the extra 3 for the hike up. We continued up a dirt path and were able to reach the tippy top of the mountain looking out over dozens of peaks. It is so beautiful here, but there has not been a clear day with no smog since we have arrived in China.

After the climb back down it was my turn to drive the moped. I took it for a few laps around the parking lot then we headed out on the main road then off onto a dirt path.

The path took us passed rice fields, over streams, and through tiny villages. I fell in love with the moped within 5 minutes of being on it. I loved driving through the rural scenes with mountains in the background.

This was definitely a highlight for me on the entire race. We were out in the middle of no where with water buffalos and rice fields on the side of the road when a lady approached us. She had postcards in her hand to offer to us for a "cheap price". She was not the last villager of the day to offer us souvenirs. The path wound through taller, rockier, steeper mountains and along a river. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant along the side of the river and were not too surprised to find an English menu. Lunch was delicious cheap local food.

After lunch we headed back on the road and I was driving last in our parade of mopeds. I heard what sounded like a rock popping out from the side of my tire. Within a sort distance I realized it was not a rock, but a flat tire. I beeped my horn to stop the others, but they did not hear me. There were many villagers around and I figured my group would notice me eventually, so I was not too worried. But, I was a little concerned about getting the tire fixed. I pulled over and waited for them to notice I was missing. Within minutes a man was by my side checking out my tire to find a nail.

He offered to fix the hole for 10 yuan or a little over a dollar fifty. I agreed and finally my group came back to find out what happened. The man pulled out a pump, patch kit and tools to fix the tube, but in the process of taking the tire off he put a few holes in the tube. He ended up putting 4 patches on the tube as his wife and some friends stood nearby to watch. With each new patch he raised the price. Finally he had the tube patched and it held air. But then he needed to get the tire back on the moped. For the next 45 minutes he worked the tire over the rim and tube. It was not easy, so he used large spikes, a hammer, and any other sharp object he could find. Every time I went to check on the progress there were more chunks taken out of the tire and I worried about the inner tube having more holes. It was getting close to the time when we were to turn the bikes in, so I was getting nervous about getting back to town. I knew it would be a miracle to make it back to town with air in the tire due to the 4 patches and the chiseling the man had done on the tube.

Finally he finished the tire and it seemed to hold air. I was sad that our day on the mopeds ended this way. I held my breath as we drove back into town, but we had no more problems with any of the vehicles.

A Gorgeous Cold Wet Boat Ride

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today is Clinton's birthday so we decided to take a boat ride to a mountain town down the river to a touristy town. It was raining as we took the taxi to the boat dock. Seven of us climbed into a little motor boat with a tarp for a roof. We puttered down the river as rain came in through the sides and through the tarp. I was cold and wet and wondering how long 4 hours of this would last.

Slowly mountains popped up here and there along the river.

We passed bamboo boats being pushed with sticks or with motors. We watched fishermen and men using long sticks like chopsticks to take the green plants from the water. The water was so shallow we had to coast in some places and we could see the bottom. I was still wondering if the boat ride was a good idea until the mountains became bigger and closer to the water. As I looked out at the beautiful scenery it was a little easier to forget about my wet seat and the cold wind. We pulled off at a cave in the side of the mountain. A man used a stick to steer our bamboo boat into the cave.

The water cave contained glittery rocks and formations, but no bats.

After lunch at a restaurant along the way we continued down the river to our destination. Our driver sped passed large boats filled with tourists. We bounced through their wake then splashed right by them.

The city was a nice tiny little tourist town. There were many vendors, shops, and restaurants that catered to tourists. This evening we went out for dinner with Clinton for his birthday then went to bed with no plans for the morning.

Go Big Or Go Home

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Go Big or Go Home." This is one of Emilie's favorite sayings on The World Race, so we decided to make it the theme for her birthday today. She had about 10 different choices to make in which she could decide to go big or go home.

The main choice was to go to the park and do some exercises with the old people or go for an adventure. Thankfully she chose the adventure which entailed a taxi ride to the base of a mountain. The weather was beautiful for our steep chair lift ride up the mountain. I really enjoyed the fresh air, beautiful trees, flowers, and even the sound of the chair lift.

The squeaking of the wheels was a familiar sound of home and fun times. At the top of the mountain we looked out over a spectacular view of strange mountain formations. The land is flat then mounds of mountains come up out of no where to form mountains.

A student had told us that there is an ancient Chinese story that says at one time the land was covered with oceans. From the shape of the mountains that would make sense and it seems to go with the story of the flood too. We played around taking pictures and enjoying the view before we headed halfway down the mountain.

At the halfway point we climbed off the chairlift and grabbed sleds to ride on the slideway or alpine slide. The track curved down the rest of the mountain. I planned not to use my brakes, but the track was so fast that I had to.

After dinner this evening we talked about how we think the Lord is blessing us for the year we have put in. It is not easy for me to feel like we are doing enough here as we prayer walk and prayer as a group. But, I do think that this time is a gift and I may never have so much time to spend in the word and in prayers.

ATL

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our group was sent here to ATL or Ask the Lord. Ideally we are to pray then wait until we feel the Lord is leading us to do something. We spent the morning taking some alone time then prayed for the other teams, China, and for our time in here. We then decided to take a city bus to see where the Lord would lead us. Some of the city buses are free, so we took the free bus and rod until we saw a store with a Biblical reference in its title. We got off to check out the store, and I hoped we would find English speakers. No one in the store spoke English and we never found how the store got its name. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city praying. It is not easy to ATL because we hardly ever see any results of the prayers. It feels like I'm not doing anything, but I just have to trust that God is doing what he wants through me.

This evening Candice and I were running some errands for Emilie's birthday. We were walking down a street when a group of middle aged tourist looking men came all around us. We tried to get through some doors and they were being really slow and awkward. I thought it was strange, but was so focused on the task at hand that I didn't pay much attention to the men. We came out of the store and the men were still close by. I looked back and they seemed to slow down. A few minutes later I noticed my camera case was open, but I still did not think much about it.

About 15 minutes later a big tour group rushed up to Candice and I and said, "Did you loose anything?" I checked my pockets, but my passport and money was still there. The group then explained that the men were trying to rob us and that's why they did not want us to pass. One of the men said he shouted for the group to stop. Candice and I were a little angry that the group would try to take our things, but I was so thankful to still have my camera, money, and passport. I kept checking to make sure I had everything. I don't know how they did not get my camera, because my case was completely open and the camera strap was hanging out after they had opened the case. I think the Lord was watching over us.

New Location

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our train ride ended at 4:00 am this morning then we boarded a bus for a 2 hour ride to our next destination. It was a little windy and squished. The man in front of James put his seat back so their heads were practically touching. Finally we arrived in the city and took a taxi to our hostel. Our current location is quite a contrast from our last city with huge leafy green trees lining the roads.

We took a walk along the river where we passed a group of old ladies dancing to salsa music. Mountains popped up in the distance and we passed a group of old ladies balancing balls on tai chi racquets as they dipped and spun. Mopeds and cars sped passed us, but did not honk or beep, because it is illegal here. We continued to walk and watch the groups of adults dancing and moving around with tai chi fans and swords. I really enjoyed watching the elderly ladies wielding the long swords.

Vendors are set up outside our hostel and jump to their feet when we walk by, "Hello looking?" They offer us cheap prices and if we so much as look at something they grab our arms and do not let go.

This evening Andrew planned a surprise for us after dinner. All he would say was that it is in the Guinness Book of World Records. We walked into a large open square a few blocks from our hostel were hundreds of people were standing. At exactly 8:30 pm water started pouring over a tall hotel creating a waterfall. For the next 15 minutes the thousands of gallons of water poured off the roof over the side of the building as music played in the background.

Snapshots of China

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We spent the last few days saying goodbye to students, eating in the cafeteria, and finishing with our classes. Some of the goodbyes were hard to say and brought tears from the students. This late in our year it is draining to say yet another goodbye. Team Salt split off from the rest of the group and we boarded a train for a 12 hour ride to our next destination. This ride was not quite as enjoyable as the last due to our loud, coughing, hacking, spitting, smoking neighbors. This train seemed dirtier and much hotter than the last train. I am getting ready to be back in the comforts of my American life.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today a tour was arranged for our group of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. On the first floor of the drab building was the pharmacy. We were allowed to walk through the back room where dried herbs were contained in jars and open bags. I watched as the pharmacists took a scoop of this and a pinch of that to fill the prescriptions.

Each patient received a packet with the different herbs and leaves and were instructed to boil the packet and drink the concoction. It was surprising to me that we were allowed to walk behind the counter to peer into the open containers of medicine. Another room contained a kitchen where the prescriptions were being boiled in clay pots over coal fires. The method did not seem very scientific as all of the concoctions were on for varying times at different temperatures.

Our tour continued up a set of dirty cement stairs. I knew we were passing the bathroom from the stench that filled the hallway of doctor's rooms. Our teacher had arranged for us to see a Traditional Chinese Doctor if so desired. I watched as a smoking doctor examined one of the World Racers. He checked out his hands, asked what his symptoms were, then wrote a prescription. Throughout the exam several local people walked into the exam room to watch; which apparently is quite common.

I sat in the hallway to wait for the World Racer's to complete their exams. The environment felt more like a bingo hall than a hospital; cigarette smoke and the smell of the bathroom permeated the air.

We went up one more floor to see a room filled with people receiving massages. This looked inviting until I saw a man getting his leg yanked by a masseuse. I do like that massage is so accessible and inexpensive in this country. Further down the hallway we arrived at a room; the teachers paused so I stopped to look in. My scalp tingled and my stomach turned to see a 3 year old boy sitting in his mothers lap with dozens of acupuncture needles sticking out of his head. Apparently he has not yet learned to walk so the acupuncture was to enable him to walk. We continued along to see more people receiving acupuncture. I had to stop at the sight of the first patient. We were invited to experience Traditional Chinese Medicine through acupuncture or massage, but after seeing it up close I had no desire to do so.

As we left the tour we talked about the depressing and seemingly unsanitary conditions of the hospital. I can not imagine having to put my hope in Traditional Medicine for wellness. There are contemporary advanced hospitals in addition to the Traditional hospitals, but many people choose tradition over scientific medicine.

Reflecting on our visit I thought about how much trust I put into studies and reports on the medicine and methods I use to stay healthy. Many times this week we have been told by the Chinese that a certain tea is good for healthy hair, or a fruit is good for the mind, or a vegetable is good for skin. Most of the time I chuckle to myself and I think, "How nave they are to believe what they have been told." Meanwhile I stick to my beliefs that come from what I have been told. How quickly I judged them when fall into the same pattern of believing what I have been told rather than seeking my own answers.

I Never Want to Be Famous

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning we had another Chinese language class. We continued to work on learning the vowel and consonant sounds along with learning a few phrases in Mandarin. The class was almost painful as we mispronounced and stuttered over the unfamiliar language. But, our teacher continued to shower praise, "So good, you got it!", when we clearly did not get it.

This afternoon an elementary school visit was planned by our cultural exchange program. Over 30 university students crammed into a bus with us to serve as our translators. We arrived at the largest high school I have ever seen. Students stood holding signs with their classroom number. The students cheered as we climbed off the bus. It was mass confusion until we broke off into groups of 3 Americans and 3 Chinese translators. Emilie, James, and I were led to a classroom where we received loud applause. We learned that 30 boys and 33 girls make up classroom number 53. The desks were crammed into any open space in the room. The students in the back of the room had to climb over other students and desks in order to move about the room.

We stood in front of the class and waited to be told what was going on. The translators asked us to introduce ourselves, so we did. Then they asked us to join them in a game. We were to clap and say the name of a food. If anyone made a mistake they had to do a performance in front of the class. Emilie, James, and I played along and made no mistakes, but they still made James and I do a performance. James sang and I whistled using my hands. I don't think they were very satisfied with my whistle and would have preferred a song. We played a few more games where the point was to embarrass the loser. Since they kept cheating to make us the losers we decided it was time to introduce some American favorites. We played Heads Up 7 Up, Pictionary, and Simon Says. It was loud mass chaos for over 2 hours. The translators kept looking at us with eager faces, "Now what?" Students with cell phones kept sneaking pictures of us and many ran up to pose in a picture with us. At the end of our time the students crowded around us for more pictures with cell phones and asked us to sign books, tablets, and notebooks. I felt like they thought we were famous. As we left the class and walked the halls, students spilled out of their classes to say goodbye, shake our hands, or take our pictures with cell phones.

After the stressful and overwhelming afternoon one of the girls climbed on the bus and said, "I need KFC." A group of us agreed to go to the only American Restaurant in the city for some comfort food. I said, "You know we are stressed when we say we need KFC." I have had KFC a handful of times in my life, but it never tasted so good.

Fun Times in China

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our traditional Chinese music class afforded us the opportunity to hear 5 different instruments. Some of the music was pleasant, some was upbeat, and some was piercing. I am coming to believe more and more that culture influences our likes and dislikes including taste in music.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Guitars

Three girls had asked me to join them for dinner downtown after English Corner. Emilie and I climbed in the mini van to ride town with them for about 15 cents. First we went to dinner at a restaurant serving fresh dumplings. As we waited for our order the girls were happy to talk about America, China, and their hometown. The dumplings were delicious and cheap too, but the girls thought the chili was not spicy enough.

After dinner the girls wanted to take pictures, so we walked a few blocks to a store that contained about 5 photo booths. The girls placed books in front of Emilie and me and asked us to pick 12 backgrounds from the thousands of available options. The five of us crammed into the small space to pose for the camera. Then we took various pictures with various poses. They told Emilie and me to make a heart with our arms which apparently is very popular in China. Emilie and I laughed as they positioned us and came up with strange poses. The pictures were printed out. I got all 12 pictures on one sheet of paper, but the girls had theirs cut into tiny squares to go into their photo books filled with other pictures.

Language Barriers Do Not Make For Easy Travel Days

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Because the park pass was good for 2 days and we had the afternoon free, 5 of us decided to revisit it today. We hoped to visit a new portion of the humongous park. It was not so easy to navigate without our student guides. After a series of unfortunate events (paying double to get to the park, going to the wrong entrance, taking a bus to a site requiring an additional entrance fee) we arrived with only an hour to spend in the park. It was just as beautiful today. We seemed to attract even more attention at the site, maybe because it was not as popular and there were no other Caucasians. After some confusion and an MIA van driver we made it back to the hotel in time to do an elementary school visit.

I was impressed by the energetic teaching of English for the students age 3-12. After a few games, Kari and I were asked to grade speeches. Children age 8-12 recited speeches completely in English. One little boy talked about how he would like to be a volunteer at the Olympic Games in Beijing. I was very impressed by the student's confidence and pronunciation of English. Unfortunately I don't think they understood much of what they were saying.

What a Beautiful Day

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We had a free day, so a group of us went to a nearby park. The park is huge covering hundreds of miles. Five students served as our guides for the day. We started with a hike, climbing over 2 miles up a mountain of a mile high. The guides told us it would take 2 hours, but we climbed in less than 1. I was amazed to see both the very young and the very old making the strenuous trip. There was an option to take a chair up to the top. The chair was fixed to bamboo poles and carried by two men for cost of $25.

There were so many people on the trail it was difficult to keep up a good pace and it was not as peaceful as a typical hike. Everyone seemed to want to take a picture of us or say hello-this is what it must be like to be famous. Vendors were set up all along the mountain as well as bathroom stations.

From the top we looked out over breath-taking views. Steep striking pillar shaped mountains shot up all around us. Before we left this morning the girls told us they could not afford to take the tram down the mountain. After our strenuous hike, we decided to take the cable car and pay for the girls, so we could do more hiking at the bottom. It came time to pay and the girls tried to pay for themselves. This is a frustrating part of Chinese culture for me to accept. They are students and have little money, yet they refuse to accept us paying.

At the bottom the girls took us for a "short walk". The short walk wound alongside the river at the base of the towering mountains for over 4 miles. The walk included a wobbly bridge, balance beams, and stilts to entertain. The adults acted like children on the various obstacles.

We came to a paddle wheel in the river. I watched several people turn the crank to draw water from the river. Leah and I decided to try it out, so we cranked the handles for about 10 seconds until water rose up from the stream. We started to walk away when a lady came running up to us screaming in Chinese. She did not look happy. The students translated saying she wanted us to pay for touching the wheel. A shouting match started between the students and the lady. Groups of people stopped to join the fight and told us to keep walking and ignore the lady. After much commotion we walked away with the lady yelling in our ears for a good 5 minutes down the trail.

Golden whip fish, dried and fried straight from the stream were being sold along the trail. Lynette told me the Chinese way is to eat the entire fish including the head, tail, and bones. The fish was delicious and crispy enough that I ate it the traditional Chinese way.

We were exhausted by the time the bus took us back to the university, but we had promised to eat with the students. They took us to have hot pot where all the ingredients cook on a burner in the table. I sat at the spicy table. The pot came out and the broth was red due to all of the spicy peppers. I knew I was in trouble. I sniffed my way through the meal as my mouth was on fire.

Calligraphy Class

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Chinese Calligraphy was our lesson today. We each received a paint brush and paper. Our teacher has been working on her calligraphy since she was 7 years old. She demonstrated the proper technique in which each segment of the character was completed in one stroke of the brush. I loved watching her careful movements. The paintbrush seemed to dance across the paper.

It came time for us to copy her movements and I'll admit, I cheated. One of the teachers walked by my desk and laughed to see me using several brush strokes, "You need to use only 1 stroke." I replied, "Impossible." In response she sat down and completed the character in 1 stroke.

Towards the end of the class a calligraphy master used rapid strokes on a huge paper. He wrote, "The scent of the flower will be smelled around the world." I was given the paper along with my Chinese name meaning, Grace.

Emilie set up a trip downtown with 3 girls from English Corner. We 1^st went to a park with random statues, which the girls were very proud to show us. Then we climbed into a mini mini van to down town.

The mini vans are so tiny they look like clown cars. Downtown consists of many upper end clothing stores, a few department stores, restaurants, and some street vendors. We spent the afternoon trying many types of food and in typical Chinese fashion all of it was paid for by our three tour guides. We had sugar cane and a candy that was almost impossible to swallow it was so dry and turned my mouth into a cotton ball. At one point Emilie and I were standing on a corner waiting for our girls eating our Sugar Cane. I looked around to see crowds of people (over 50 people) standing still staring at us. We have gotten used to many greetings of, "Hello!" and double takes, but it was crazy to be receiving so much attention at one time.

English Corner Questions

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have always wondered why my American education seemed to completely omit Asia from my History classes. Today we had a class on Chinese History. In 2 long hours we covered over 5000 years of China's recorded history. That was barely enough time for our lecturer (the president of the University) to list all of the emperors, dynasties, and kings. We did hear some interesting facts like the 1^st writings came from copying the cracks formed in a tortoise shell after it was heated over a fire. Mainly I fell back into the semi-conscious state of boredom I assumed in my high school classes. I sat there thinking about how many hours Chinese students must spend listening to, studying, memorizing, and reading about Chinese History. With the long list of difficult names and ancient dates I was grateful our exposure only lasted 2 hours. I can see now why it is difficult to push Asian history in America.

My lunch today, veggies and rice, cost about 15 cents. I am really enjoying the variety of food and the cheap prices in the cafeteria.

"Is it safe for me to visit America?" this is the first question I receieved at English Corner. I replied, "Of course it is safe for you to visit America." The response, "REALLY?!?" "Is it true that most people in America have guns? What do you think of the Iraq war? Who are you going to vote for?" These are the questions one of the girls peppered me with at English Corner today. We do have to watch what we say at English Corner. We can not talk about Christianity or anything that pertains to our religion. Both the program we are going through and the students we talk to would receive the consequences of being shut down or imprisonment.

This evening we were invited to a program being held for the Freshman class. A large room was filled with excited chattering students. We were ushered to the front of the room right next to the speakers. Glow sticks were handed out and we posed for many pictures being taken by cell phone wielding students. Finally the talent show began. I stayed for a few dance performances, some singing, and a comedy act, but all of it was in Chinese. I did not have the patience or the attention span to sit through more than a few acts.

All Things Chinese

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning we were on our way to a Tea House for our lesson on Tea Art. A man was squatted in front of a pile of bones. Our teacher for the day explained that they were goats legs; a Chinese delicacy. The man started burning the hair off the goat's legs; which sent off noxious fumes.

At our Tea Art lesson we were served a dozen different teas (green, yellow, black, and flower). Many of the teas tasted the same to me, but some smelled like pretty flowers, and one had an amazing aftertaste. The tea ceremony had specific steps and ways of holding the teapot. Emilie got to serve the tea and resported that it was very difficult to hold the pot with one hand and to remember the steps.

This afternoon I went to a park across the street from our hotel. There is a little lake, bridges, trees, and nice grass. I found a place to have some alone time and watched as two little girls drove a motorized boat around the lake. It was not 5 minutes till I had a small group of elementary aged children surrounding me. They were too cute to ignore, so I tried out some of the magic tricks I learned from the orphans in Cambodia. They loved it and tried to communicate with me using their English work book.

At English Corner today I received some very political questions regarding Iraq, the greenhouse effect, and the election. The students seemed to believe that US car companies should work together to eliminate pollution (meanwhile 1 million cars join the roads in China everyday and the cars spit out black fumes). Once again I was treated to dinner by the students. This time my meal was a huge bowl of noodles with various pieces of beef and cabbage. It was very spicy; my mouth, tongue, lips,. And even eyes went numb. There was no way I could finish the meal. Thankfully the girls had to leave before I had to stuff myself.

Chinese food is excellent, but it has been doing a number on my stomach. The bathrooms in the university are very interesting. The stalls are made for Chinese height, so they reach about my hips and the toilets are squatters, so there is not much privacy.

This evening we were invited to a drama competition being put on by the freshman English majors. I stayed for 3 of the dramas. Despite the rough English and shouting into the microphone the students did a good job. It was difficult to stifle the laughter when Romeo and Juliet broke out into, "I will always love you". I don't think Shakespeare intended for that song to be included.

Guess What Part of the Chicken I Ate Today

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We were told to get to class early this morning, because it is very disrespectful to arrive after the teacher. We snapped a few"1^st day of school" pictures then piled into our classroom. We were scheduled to start our the classroom portion of our Cultural Exchange through the Pinyin System. The Pinyin System is Chinese Phonetics. We spent the next two hours trying to match the teachers Chinese sounds by contorting our mouths, tongues, and teeth in ways they have never before moved. Some letters sounded completely identical in sound to our English ears. Chinese has 4 tones, so that makes it even more difficult. There are 23 consonants, 24 vowels, and 16 other units (I don't know what group they fall into, because I was distracted by the firecrackers being shot off by a business in the city for good luck). After I was only called on once to painfully mispronounce a phrase, our class was over and we went to lunch.

Two cafeterias, with dozens of food stations serve the students meals. Each stall has different offerings.to choose from. I ended up with a fried egg and dumplings filled with spinach and meat for about 30 cents. It was good too.

This afternoon we gathered for English Corner. Four girls gathered around me. One started out the conversation by saying, "Frankly, I think you are gorgeous." I liked English Corner from the start. We spent the next 2 hours talking about China, America, food, families, and more. All of them said they would like to be business women, but their parents prefer that they take the more stable and suitable jobs for women as teachers.

The end of English Corner came and the girls asked me to join them for dinner. They took me to a restaurant connected to the dining hall for "hot pot". Two burners in the center of the table heated pots filled with broth and meat. The food was delicious. One of the girls held up a piece of meat and said, "Annie, will you eat this?" I asked what it was and found out it was the flappy thing from the head of the chicken. I agreed to try it and was surprised to find it chewy yet flavorful. After I finished a bite of it the girls admitted that only one of them had ever tried that part of the chicken. The meal and conversation with the girls was so enjoyable I felt like I was back in college hanging out with friends.

This evening Spano, Candice, Morgan, and I went for a walk. We were headed down an alley to a tea store when 2 different groups of over 15 guys jumped out of cars and into taxis. My heart started to pound when I saw they all wore 1 white glove and carried knives with blades over 6 inches long. At first I thought the 2 groups were colliding, but I guess they were headed somewhere together.

I turned on my TV just now to find 1 English station of news. Anytime scrolling captions appear on footage from another program the captions are blurred out and the commentary is dubbed over. A little censorship brought to the people of China by the government.

A Happy Birthday for Me

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I woke up this morning feeling well rested considering we had traveled as I slept. Train travel is definitely the way to go. I felt like I was riding on the polar express as we traveled through the night.

After I woke up I went to the bathroom (which was a squatter toilet) and came back to find a group of World Racers wishing me Happy Birthday. Emilie and Candice came up with a camp theme for my birthday, so they put up camp decorations, had me fish from the top bunk for small gifts, and other various camp activities.

We were watching some amazing scenery of green mountains, and cool-aid blue water when Clinton handed me a cell phone. It was my family singing Happy Birthday. I was totally surprised, because I didn't expect to be able to have any contact with them in China. Just the sound of their voices made me tear up.

Once into our city we were greeted by our host, an English speaking professor. She took us to our hotel, where we will stay for the next 12 days. It is not exactly Days Inn quality, but it is wonderful to have so much space in my room with only 1 roomie.

We toured the campus where our cultural exchange will take place for 2 weeks. Five thousand students attend classes taught by over 300 teachers. The dorms looked very different from the US dorms, because each balcony and window had laundry hanging out to dry.

The students were gathering at the track for sport club where a competition would be taking place later. Some World Race girls joined the aerobics session taking place to many smiles from the Chinese students. We continued to receive smiles and greetings as we walked the campus. We will spend the next 2 weeks taking classes about Chinese culture then spending the afternoons talking to students at English Corner hoping to build lasting relationships.

After the tour we walked back to the hotel where we had dinner. The meal was family style and contained many dishes of mushrooms, pumpkin, tofu, and sprouts. I was surprised by a Birthday cake bought by Tim. It was one of the best cakes we have had outside the US; it actually tasted like cake. But, because I was in China I ate the cake with chopsticks.

We finished out my birthday with a "campfire" in my room. We sat around the fake fire made from balloons and talked. This is sure to be a birthday I don't forget.

Travel Day

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One bus and two trains took us to the Hong Kong/China border. We divided into small groups of 10 to cross the border, because we would run into more problems with crossing as a large group and it may give away the fact that we are a Christian group. When crossing the actual border we were told to say we were not with a group and were just crossing as tourists. Once across we waited 4 hours for our next train. As we waited in a room filled with hundreds of people we received much attention and staring. A few people tried unsuccessfully to sneak a picture of us. Some did not even try to sneak a picture, but walked right up and snapped a shot with their cell phone.

For dinner we went to a local restaurant. I sat with Lynette, a World Racer with Chinese parents. She helped us with Chinese table etiquette. It is okay to use your fingers, put unwanted bones and fat on the actual table, and to shovel rice straight from your bowl into your mouth. It is not okay to pour tea for yourself before you serve your elders. Only a little food should be taken at a time rather than a heaping serving. All rice and tea should be finished before leaving the table.

After our eight course meal we dashed back to the train station and boarded for our 14 hour journey. The train was made up of seated cars, public sleeper cars, and a restaurant car. We were in the public sleeper car which had about 10 cubicles containing 6 beds stacked 3 high.

You just finished The World Race; now what are you going to do? I'm going to Disneyland Hong Kong!!!

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today was our final leg of The World Race. Honestly I was not too sad about the end of this particular feature of the year. The races are fun, but we have to rush through such amazing sites and experiences. This was one of my favorite races as we got to go all around Hong Kong by taxi, bus, subway, ferry, and tram. A prepaid card allowed us to use all forms of public transportation including the tram that took us straight up mountain. The view from the top of the mountain included the spectacular skyline of Hong Kong. The architecture is eclectic with the bonus dimension of being surrounded by towering green mountains.

As we found various landmarks, building, and parks I was amazed by the cleanliness of the city. Spitting or littering in the city comes at the cost of 1,500 Hong Kong Dollars or over $200 there is also a fine for eating or drinking on the subway. We were able to ask almost anyone for directions because English is spoken by almost everyone.

At the finish line we received a surprise from AIM, a ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland. Disneyland Hong Kong is only 2 years old and was offering evening tickets at a reduced price for Halloween. I wish I had video of the World Racers jumping, skipping, dancing, and singing all the way from downtown Hong Kong to Disneyland via the subway.

Everyone was absolutely giddy. It was so fun to ride Space Mountain, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear. For the jungle river cruise there were 3 lines; English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Ice cream treats included sesame chocolate, red bean, blackcurrant jelly, green milk tea, and of course the classic mickey head. Even with the subtle differences of Hong Kong Disney it was fun to be in the Disney atmosphere and to have a little taste of America.

It's Official, No Internet, Even on My Birthday

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have arrived in Hong Kong. It is beautiful with green mountains, extensive bridges, and towering sky scrapers. Today was our China debrief and tomorrow is the race. We found out a little bit about our time in China and what we will be doing there. I am so excited about our plans. I love learning about culture and hanging out with students and we will be doing a bit of both. We should also see some pretty cool sites and ride an overnight sleeper train. Unfortunately we will not be able to blog or e-mail or talk to people back home at all for security sake. I was sad to hear this and then crushed when Emilie reminded me that both of our birthdays will happen when we are in China. So, I will not get to talk to family and friends, or read e-mails that day. But, I am relieved to know that Internet is one area that we don't have to worry about compromising the long term staff and Christians working in China. November 10th we will leave China and come back into Hong Kong, so I will be able to check my e-mail and hopefully post a blog. Keep those e-mails and facebook comments coming.
Here are some random things we learned about China today. There are 1.3 billion people in the country, so personal space practically does not exist. Standing in line does not happen. Everyone just kind of crowds around; it's survival of the fittest. The ground is considered very dirty. It is not okay to touch the ground, sit on it, or eat food off of the ground. Not eating food off of the ground is something that World Racers will have to work hard to remember. One reason why the ground is considered so dirty is that spitting is perfectly okay and it happens quite often. Chopsticks are the utensils of choice; we just need to remember not to put them sticking up in the air out of rice or food. This symbolizes death.
I don't know if you can tell, but I am super excited about the month ahead of us. But, I am really going to miss putting my thoughts into my computer. Writing is such a good outlet for me to report what I see and feel. My laptop will be staying in Hong Kong. If I wanted to take it into the country I would need to strip it of any Christian, AIM, or World Race info and pictures. It is possible that my computer would be confiscated, so it's just not worth the risk for me. Please continue to keep China, Team Salt, and me in your prayers.

Emilie in the, Bangkok Airport, trying to make some cash:

Olympic Excitement:

A Not So Good Day in The Life of A World Racer

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have talked many times as World Racers about how our blogs may be misleading. Topics are usually exciting and positive in nature. I have also been asked by a number of people to share not just the high points on the race, but the low points too. Well some moments from today were almost comically low; at least they were in my opinion. I was not going to post a blog at all today, but I wanted to step out of my box of blogs. It all started when I woke up this morning to find that my runny nose, sore throat, and cough had not gone away. But, I was excited to put in a new set of contacts. I put them in, but they seemed to be off in some way. I opened another set; which I don't like to do, but they did not work either. It's almost like my eyes changed over night.
I kept the contacts in and went to the Internet caf to get some work done and was about a quarter of the way into my work when I found out the caf I was at would not allow me to use my flash drive; so a lot of my work was wasted. I went to the mall to buy a new pair of pants (this was actually a good part of the day). My eyes were still bothering me; I felt like I was wearing a friend's pair of contacts. I thought maybe I had them in the wrong eyes so I went to an Optometrist in the mall and asked if I could use just a little saline to switch my contacts. She made me pay three dollars for a little sample bottle. But, the money was wasted, because the contacts were not in the wrong eyes. In order to by pants I had to get 1,000 more Baht out of my account. Well, take my advice. Do not make cash withdrawals when your vision is blurred. I pushed 10,000 baht rather than 1,000. So on my final day in Thailand I withdrew $300 more than I needed to use.
By this time I was to meet Ryan, Tim, and Josh for dinner. We decided to check out a revolving tower that overlooks the city of Bangkok. There is an all you can eat buffet on the 79th floor. The food was a redeeming factor in my day and helped me to forget about my eyes. But then we went to 82nd floor to look out over the city. Not only was the motor broken, so the tower was not revolving, but clouds were moving in so we could not see a thing. Lightning flashed and it soon started to rain. By the time we reached the ground level it was pouring. We climbed onto a packed bus where I stood in a crowd of people. The bus took 30 minutes to move through just a few city blocks. My head hurt, I felt sick to my stomach, and I felt like I could pass out, because of my contacts. I just wanted to be home. The bus continued to move at a snails pace. The rain was causing the streets to flood and soon we were moving through well over a foot of water.

Our 45 minute bus ride lasted 2 hours.

Upon returning I finally took out my contacts and went to the Internet Cafe to finish my work. I did get to call my cousin Katie to wish her a Happy Birthday; it was a great comfort to hear her voice. Then I tried calling my parents for the last time before China, but couldn't get a hold of them. On the way back to the YWAM building I was walking through the rain trying not to get my clothes too wet, because I have to pack tonight. I started to think about my rough day and how it really wasn't a good one and I started feeling a little homesick. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stood at the corner waiting to cross the street. Just then a bus came flying by and splashed through a puddle covering me in nasty wave of water. I was soaked from the waist down; I just started laughing and crying.

So that was my real day in my life as a World Racer.

I May Not Be Able to Blog in China. Gasp...What Will I Do?

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow we head to China and there are a few things I need to tell you about our time there. It is illegal to convert Chinese people. We do have several Christian contacts in China that we will be working alongside. In order to protect the security and anonymity of the contacts I will not be able to access The World Race site. I may be able to send blogs to my parents to post, but they will need to be free of any Christian words or phrases. I will not be able to tell you specific places, names of people, or post pictures that would give away location or identity. The government watches sites visited on the Internet and e-mail, so if you contact me please refrain from using any Christian phrases (God Bless, Praying for You, In Christ, etc.). Please continue to pray for our group, but especially pray for the Christians in China. Our group is not exactly inconspicuous and I would hate for our presence to cause imprisonment or harm to any of the contacts.

A Travel Day in the Life of a World Racer

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A flight to Bangkok, Thailand from Siem Reap Cambodia lasts 35 minutes. A bus ride from Siem Reap Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand begins at 7:15 am and ends at 9:45 pm. We moved such a small distance on the map, but the roads are so bad in areas that a small child could run faster than our bouncing bus. Just another day on The World Race. I do have to say thank you to 10 of the World Racers that suffered through 6 hours on a non-air conditioned bus, while the rest of us crammed into an almost air conditioned bus. We arrived in Bangkok last night and head to China on Thursday.

Loading in Siem Reap 1 1/2 hours behind schedule.

Just enough room for our bags to be crammed in the back; not quite enough room for Chris Youell's long legs.

At the Cambodia Thai Border keeping an eye on our stuff.

Don't let World Racers fool you; these guys do the hard work. They took our bags across the border as we went through customs. It takes a lot of trust to turn a back pack over to a stranger.

I think this is my favorite sign in the world. Unfortunately Kim from our group was a victim of a pickpocket right as she was crossing the border.

A Day Tour of Angkor

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

All of the World Racers minus Team Zeo, Scott, Linnea, Rusty, and Josh have been in Siem Reap for the past two days. This is our next to last debrief, so we have been encouraged to focus on the race rather than going home and to finish strong. Today was an open day for us, so I got up at 4:45 to see the sunrise at famous Angkor Wat. The temples of Angkor were built by Cambodian kings that were revered as gods. The temples date from AD 802 to 1432. Originally the temples were believed to be Hindu, but were converted to Buddhist sites of worship. Angkor Wat is believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. Unfortunaely the sunrise was not too spectacular, but the temple is huge with multiple walls surrounding the center temple. The tiny details carved into the stones is amazing along with the precision of the fit of the stones.

Our next stop was my favorite temple, Ta Prohm, which has been taken over by jungle vegetation and huge trees. Ta Prohm served as the site for a scene from the movie Tomb Raider.

Our final stop was Bayon where 216 faces look out to Cambodia's 54 provinces.

All day we were bombarded by children selling bracelets and postcards and women trying to sell cold drinks. Prices dropped amazingly fast starting at $1 for a bracelet and dropping to 10 for $1.

My favorite part of the day was when a little baby toddled over to me to check out my camera. She was so fascinated by the images on the LCD screen.

Tomorrow we are taking the very rough road back to Bangkok, Thailand.