We spent two weeks in Beijing. The day after our arrival, we visited Chao Yang Park (Sun Park) and rented a duck boat. Though it was quite slow, we had a blast maneuvering it around the lake. At the park, we discovered a place that Logan and Lizzy were eager to check out. It was an outdoor ropes course, but the heat made it uncomfortable to stay outside for long, so we opted for an indoor location instead. It turned out to be even more enjoyable than the outdoor ropes course because we could play with other kids, some of whom spoke a little English! The indoor venue featured a ball pit, rope swing, slides, a ropes course, rock climbing, cave exploration, an obstacle course, live human whack-a-mole, and VR experiences. We particularly loved the ropes course, and at the end, we received candy—a special pixie stick that allowed us to fill it with our chosen flavors. We also went rock climbing in the middle of a mall. Additionally, we hiked the Great Wall, but we did more waiting than actual hiking. We took the cable car up since our grandma joined us. It was enjoyable but quite tiring, and we suggest visiting when it's less crowded. Our two favorite meals in Beijing were at a hot pot restaurant called Haidilao and the famous Peking duck. To enjoy Peking duck, you create your own rolls by adding cucumbers, onions, sauce, and then the duck onto a pancake, somewhat like making a taco. One evening after dinner, we strolled along the Liang Ma River. Logan even grew some sprouts in our hotel room, which thrived while we were there. On the morning of our departure, Logan had his sprouts for breakfast. We found Beijing to be a lot of fun and are sad to leave China, but we're off to Japan!
I was very let down by my location once more this semester. It took me 2.5 hours to reach the train station on the teacher bus and then 3 hours to return from the train station on the light rail. Not to mention the 1 km walk back to my apartment from the train station. It's just as bad as it was last semester, if not worse, because there are no longer any trees or stray cats. It's simply a vast dusty campus on flat ground, with a lot of wind and currently, the sun is quite uncomfortably hot.
A few weeks back, I visited Hangzhou for a job fair. Although I didn't secure a job, I met a Chinese guy named Min Jie. We spent some time together in the West Lake area, which was enjoyable, but I doubt we'll be traveling together again anytime soon.
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A highly soggy mountain and an extremely busy panda sanctuary.
We spent two weeks in Changde. It rained nearly every day, which limited our exploration more than we had hoped. We enjoyed playing at arcades, engaged in Township (a game on our phones and tablets), and went go-karting three times. The go-karts were fully electric and located inside a mall. Logan and Lizzy have been playing Township for over three years and taught Jenny how to play during a two-day stretch of continuous rain. She enjoys the game because it allows her to garden digitally while we travel. They also introduced Lutao to the game, so now the entire family plays Township together.
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Historic town and caverns.
It was excessively warm.
We spent two weeks in Beijing. The day after our arrival, we visited Chao Yang Park (Sun Park) and rented a duck boat. It was quite slow, but we enjoyed navigating it around the lake.