China Bound

Well, Darryl and I decided to honeymoon in China. Go figure? We like a little adventure, so we thought China would be a grand idea for our first Out of Country experience. And, we did have a fabulous time. We spent the first part of our trip on an endless flight, and if you know me, you know I can't hold still long enough to watch even one movie. But, we both did great on the flight! I want to say it was close to 20 hours with only one layover.

Hong Kong

First off, Darryl and I noticed how large we were. I mean we are huge compared to the Chinese people. Also, everyone STARED!!! And not just stared, they turned back around to get a few more looks. I mean, have they never seen Americans before? It was weird, but I guess we aren't your typical looking couple. However; we never think about that and just wondered why the crazy people were staring at us. We stayed in Hong Kong for over a week and LOVED it. We felt like we were in the British New York City with a bunch of small people. It's not at all what I expected, much cooler. I have never seen so many skyscrapers crammed into one place. And, I've never seen so many double decker buses. Shopping was great; however I was hard pressed to find anything that even fit me. Again, in China I was HUGE.

Fun Memories of Hong Kong:

1. Mastering the Subway station- And, mind you, we speak NO Chinese!

2. One person actually said hi to me and that she liked my hair. No one else talked to us unless they had to.

3. Waiting in line at the Chinese Embassy because we had no idea we needed to obtain Visas before entering into Beijing!!! Luckily there was a quick turnaround on these. Let me tell you, there is nothing like being in the plane, halfway there and looking at Darryl and saying, "Um, it looks like we needed Visas to get into Beijing!" It might have been good if I would have opened the travel guide before I was on the plane.

4. Eating McDonalds, Eating KFC and Eating at TGI Fridays....Oh, and Outback too!!!

5. The hundreds of people on the street corner trying to get you to buy a knock off watch, purse or tailored suit.

6. Darryl and I pretty much mingling with the Middle Eastern Mafia in a backroom because I had the grand idea of looking at the knock off purses. NEVER AGAIN!!! Sorry Darryl : )

7. My tailored shirts! I had two of them made with my new initials. I love them.

8. My broken suitcase and Darryl fixing it with duct tape, just hoping it would make it to Beijing and home. And, it did!

9. The GIANT Buddha and vegetarian lunch at the Monastery. Um, we weren't sure what we were eating but that was fine with me knowing there was no meat in it.

10. The cable car ride down the side of the mountains. How amazing!!

11. The street with all of the strip clubs right next to the street with all of the home repair shops.

12. Learning that you actually have to ask your server for the bill.

13. Learning if we can master China....we can master this marraige!

There were lots of random drinks in vending machines that we did not recognize!

The Giant Buddha Statue...95ft of Bronze

And, we then ventured to Beijing...that was about a 4.5 hour flight from Hong Kong. We truly had no idea what to expect when we got off the plane. Beijing is much different than Hong Kong. There is absolutely no British influence, but the people are still small and stared even more! Luckily they drive on the right side of the road, but let me tell you...you have never seen such crazy traffic intermingled with twice as many bicycles as cars. And, it almost seemed like there were no traffic rules at all. Beijing was much more third world than Hong Kong. People were poor, toilets were all holes in the ground and things were much cheaper there.

Some of our favorite Beijing Memories:
1. Hellen and Linda- The English students we met at Tiananmen Square. They showed us around for hours. We loved spending time with them!

2. Who could forget the $1400 RMB tea ceremony that we unknowingly took part in??? We'll never forget that one and neither will Hellen or Linda. Who thought stopping for a warm glass of tea could potentially cost them over $200 USD. Oops!

3. Someone in China recognized Darryl!!! Well, either that or they got him confused with a movie star. A little lady at one of the street shops said Darryl looked like someone she knew, "You looka like Tom Cruise!" I'm one lucky woman : )

4. Needing a fork when all you had were chopsticks.

5. Countless dead animals hanging on the outside of the stores. Yummy!

6. McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. Man, was I ever excited to eat Pizza.

7. Also, the walls at Pizza Hut were glass and people would stop outside the window to stare at us. We really just smiled back at them and sometimes waved. And, let me tell you, it is really hard to order a pizza when no one speaks English. The other funny thing was how long it took the natives to make their salads at the salad bar...you have never seen a salad stacked so high into a bowl. It was like an art!

8. No one in Beijing speaks English! Except when Darryl and I go there : )

9. Jade, Jade and more Jade. I can teach you how to tell if it is real or not.

10. Chinese medical clinic, Um, so Darryl has back problems and I don't have enough blood.

11. Their teeth, Wow, Darryl and I were blessed with nice teeth.

12. The subway system was pretty lame compared to Hong Kong, but we still figured it out.

13. The GREAT WALL!!!!! Teeth chattering and all, but we'll never forget being there.

Our Life Savors Hellen and Linda!!!!! We miss you both!!!!!