Spring Break Trip

So I apologize again for being so slow at blogging! I'll try to catch things up this next week. Right now I'll tell you a little bit about the spring break trip I was able to take!

So two weeks ago, I got in a cab to get to the train station to Shanghai, to then get on a subway that would take myself and the other 5 women I traveled with to the airport.  We left for Guilin in southern China to eventually get to Yangshuo for a week of relaxing and taking in the beautiful creation the Father so wonderfully displayed there.  After a very late arrival to Guilin (around midnight), we went to our first hostel for the night to rest up.  We woke up and ate breakfast at the hostel, went to a grocery store to get food, and hopped on a bus to travel to Yangshuo, the city we planned to visit for most of the week.  Following a 2 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Yangshuo.  I could tell when we arrived without even being told because all of a sudden the road was surrounded by mountains and breathtaking scenery.  I was really looking forward to being able to enjoy His creation and take a break from the busy city life for a short time.  Once we got into Yangshuo, our wonderful Chinese friend found which bus we needed to transfer to in order to get to XingPing, a nearby village, where we would find our hostel for the week.  I wasn't aware that we wouldn't be staying in the city we came to see everyday, but I was blessed by a beautiful 40 minute bus ride to XingPing that night that I got to experience everyday as we went to Yangshuo.  We finally found our hostel after walking through the old streets of XingPing, got dinner at a little restaurant, and went to sleep.

Tuesday was our first full day of vacation where we weren't travelling more than 40 minutes at a time!  We woke up early and got on the bus to take us from XingPing to Yangshuo.  It was during this bus ride where I truly got to see a more rural side of China as I was paying attention more to the cultural of this new city than I had the night before.  We passed a lot of rice fields with men plowing the fields complete with water buffalo :) It was such a cool sight! Some of the housing situations and people I saw truly broke my heart, but they were still smiling despite their circumstances.  It made me grateful for what I have but also made me aware of the living conditions in rural areas of China.  I was filled with so many questions as I wondered if the people there were alright with their living conditions, if they would like to live differently, if they chose to be farmers...the list goes on and on.  I'm very glad I got to see a different part of the country as I am typically in a city where people are wearing name brand clothing and driving scooters everywhere.  Anyway, back to what I did on Tuesday!

When we got into Yangshuo, Kylie, our Chinese friend and fellow teacher, found a travel company and started to see what we could do for our first day in Yangshuo.  We really wanted to go on bamboo rafts down the river, but the rafts were closed for the day because it was raining off and on and the water was too high.  Instead, we got tickets to go to an old city that had many tourist attractions as well as tickets to a large cave.
We first went to the old city and were greeted once again by people who wanted to take pictures with us.  After taking pictures, we got on a larger boat and went down the river to see many dancers, instrumentalists, and different types of housing all along the river.  It was rather neat to see everything that was from such unfamiliar cultures! We then left the old city and went to the cave which I was really excited to see.  It was amazing to see how enormous the cave was in the side of the mountain.  We were in the cave for about an hour walking around because it took us that long to walk through the entire thing!  It was amazing to be reminded of how big and majestic the Father is :)  It was probably one of my favorite places of the day because I was just so in awe of His creation.







We then returned to the main city of Yangshuo and found a place to eat and shop for a short time before going to the light show.  I really wasn't sure what to expect in going to the light show, but it was truly amazing.  It was almost like a musical or play but with the best stage I have ever seen.  The stands looked out onto a lake with mountains behind and on all sides.  So beautiful.  Many actors sang and danced on a platform in the lake as men on bamboo rafts did an incredible act with long strips of material that spanned across the lake.  There were of course lots of lights as well throughout the show. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen--truly a Chinese experience!  The man from the travel company then took us all the way back to XingPing for the night because it was too late to get a bus to end our first full day in Yangshuo.

Wednesday was probably my favorite day of the entire trip.  Kylie got a call from the man at the travel company before 8:00 and told us that the bamboo rafts were open for the day! The weather forecast had said it was supposed to rain all day, but the Father surely provided for us!  We got down to the travel company, bought our tickets for the bamboo rafts, rented bikes to ride down to the docks, and began to make our way to the docks.  It was the most beautiful bike ride I've ever taken! So many mountains, and we even bought flower wreaths from ladies on the street on our way to the docks. It was absolutely gorgeous :)

When we finally got to the docks with the bamboo rafts, we paired off and started heading down the river.  Our driver was a bit of a jokester as he started splashing a few of the other girls by smacking his bamboo pole on top of the water.  We also got wet in the process, but it was such a relaxing and peaceful time just floating down the river surrounded by the Father's creation of mountains displaying his awesome majesty.  Ahhh so amazing :)

Two hours later, we got off of the river and found our bikes.  We then began to ride our bikes down the road to our next destination, Moon Hill.  Another lovely bike ride in the sun and 70 degree weather (instead of the rain that was forecasted) and we found Moon Hill.  We ate a quick lunch and then began climbing.  Sarah #1 and I lead the journey to the top of the hill as we counted every step.  810 steps later, we finally reached the top of Moon Hill.  The view from the top of Moon Hill made every single step worth it.  Once again, trying to put what I saw into words is nearly impossible.  Seeing part of the city below from the top was absolutely breathtaking.  We stayed at the top for a while to take many pictures and just take it all in.  Then we ventured back down the very slippery steps to the bottom.  We all made it down safely and biked back to the travel company to return our bikes.  After walking around in Yangshuo for a little bit, we returned  back to XingPing for dinner as we ate pizza on the roof of our hostel.  Stories of how the Father has worked in and through our lives were shared, and I began to feel even closer to these people I had known than less for a week.  It's so neat how we can all be connected through our faith!

Thursday was a day to simply walk around West Street in downtown Yangshuo and do some shopping.  Sarah #2 got to reminisce as she saw some of the many places that were so familiar to her when she first came to China during her high school years.  I still have not become very good at bargaining, but I'm glad I have some friends who are! It's always interesting to see even how shopping can be different.  Bargaining is expected and I'm sure glad it is! I got some wonderful deals on scarves, jewelry, and other Chinese items in addition to two beautiful paintings.  I definitely felt like more of a tourist as I walked up and down West Street, but I liked that experience as well.  We went to lunch at the same restaurant we had visited a couple days earlier and got on a bus that would take us back to Guilin.

When we got back into Guilin, we located the train station and got ready for our 9 hour ride on a sleeper train that would take us from Guilin to Changsha.  The train ride was definitely interesting as we slept on bunks 3 high with no curtains to separate the beds from the rest of the train.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was quite a unique experience!  The train got into Chansha at 5:00 am on Friday, and with our flight from Changsha not leaving until late that evening, we had a day to spend in the city.  We took a bus into the city a bit and found a restaurant to have a typical Chinese breakfast of noodles.  Not something I would normally have for breakfast, but it was quite delicious!  We then found a McDonald's and spent quite a few hours just sitting and sharing about life with one another.  It was wonderful :)  Once stores actually began to open, we found a Walmart to walk around in.  It was good to see someplace that was familiar, but then I realized that Walmart in China is not like Walmart in the US at all.  There were some similarities, but when I saw the chicken feet, octopus, and eel being sold, I realized that I was definitely still in China.  After Walmart, we went up a floor of the building and found a movie theater.  We really wanted to find something to do that would be relaxing because we were all tired after traveling so much.  We found a movie that was playing in English, The Great and Powerful Oz, bought tickets, got our popcorn and drinks that came with our tickets, and watched the movie.  More noodles, more shopping, and another bus ride later, we made it to the Changsha airport where we would finally be transported back to Wuxi.  Of course our plane was delayed over an hour, but we eventually made it home shortly after midnight.

Sorry this is such a long post! There's so much I feel that I didn't share too, but I definitely wanted to make sure I shared everything I could about my spring break trip.  It was a wonderful time of refreshment and being reminded of the Father's majesty.  I got to know the other women I went with on a deeper level and I'm so encouraged by their hearts for the Father.  It was absolutely wonderful :)