Waitomo Caves

This last weekend I took a bus out to visit the Waitomo Caves. Even before I came to New Zealand I had heard that this was a must see spot in the Waikato region. Since it was only an hour bus ride from Hamilton, I decided to take the trip.

The cave complex at Waitomo is extensive and includes both dry and wet caverns. However, the reason they really became famous was their population of glow worms. I learned while I was at the caves that the glow worms are actually a variety of maggot. They live on the ceilings of the caves and emit a dull bluish-green bio-luminescence that is said to be spectacular. I have to admit I thought it was quite beautiful myself.

I decided to take a tour with the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company. They specialize in adventure tours through the caves, but there are other companies you can go through if you're interested in a more mild approach. We started by getting all dressed up in skin tight wet suits, boots, helmets and harnesses. 

Then we took about a 10 minute drive up the road from the tour station and parked at the side of the road. From there it was a short hike until we reached the starting point of our trip. There we had a quick lesson on how to use the abseiling equipment we would need to make the 35 m drop down into the caves.

It was a tight squeeze through the entrance, but as you dropped down further into the caves it expanded out into a beautiful, cool, damp cave.

Here I will mention to you that the BWRC does not allow you to take cameras on your trip because of the danger of things getting dropped and damaging people or the delicate cave system. So all the pictures I have from inside the caverns are from the company themselves.

After everyone was inside we walked a short distance down the passageway before reaching a ledge looking over a dark abyss. Our tour guides then strapped us onto a long rope and asked up to turn out all of our head lamps. This was when I realized that I was going to be taking a zip-line through the caverns in the pitch black! Once I was strapped in and ready I pushed myself off and went flying through the dark caves. I looked up and saw hundreds of glow worm lights twinkling all around me. The ride came to a stop far before I wanted it to!

The next leg of our journey would take us into the black waters of the underground river that runs through the caves. We each got our own inner tube and had to jump off a rock ledge into the water below. It was freezing cold and I was very glad I had that wet suit! We let the current take us down the river until we reached a spot where we hoped out and climbed up a short way to visit a cavern filled with beautiful mineral formations.

We soon left the tubes and went on down the rest of the river on foot. It wasn't too shallow most of the way, although I did take a couple of dips into some unexpected holes! As we went along our guides told us some more about the glow worms. I learned that when they hatch and attach themselves to the ceiling, they let down a bunch of sticky strings that hang down and catch insects as they go by. I got to check out a couple up close and I have to say they were definitely a bit strange looking!

Shortly after our guides also pointed out a strange object in the water that we all stopped to look at.

After a few incorrect guesses they told us that scientists had been down to the caves to test it and it turned out to be a whale bone that had been stuck there for thousands of years and slowly uncovered by erosion.

Shortly after we came to a deeper section of the river where we had to swim for about 100 meters before coming to a ledge where we could exit and continue along a dry section of the cavern. We got a chance to see another large mineral deposit cavern.

Here we were given some delicious hot orange juice and chocolate to rejuvenate us before we continued on. I was very grateful to get warmed up after that cold river! To get to the section of the cave where we would be able to get out we needed to make our way through a muddy bypass. It was small enough that we had to make our way on our hands and knees. We all got quite filthy by the end!

That was OK though because in order to get out of the caves we had to climb up through two small waterfall which got us all clean and completely soaked once again!

As we climbed back out into the sun I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that it was over. It had been such a fun and exciting trip and I wish that I could have spent a few more hours inside! We spent 3 hours inside the caves and barely saw a small portion of it. If I ever come back to New Zealand this is one experience I would be willing to do all over again!

Rotorua, New Zealand - Day 2

We spent the evening in Rotorua at Rock Solid Backpackers. I found this hostel on Hostelworld.com which has always been a very reliable source. They had a 98% rating at the time I looked them up and it cost us about NZ$19 each to stay in a 4-bed female dorm room. I have to say I was really impressed by their accommodations. 

 To start with their customer service was excellent. We were greeted right away upon entering and were quickly set up with everything we needed. They had a ton of information on things to do in the city and their receptionists were very well acquainted with what was good to do and how to get around.

I also felt very secure in their facility. They had a lounge area that was open to anyone with a pool table, TV, free movies, a book exchange and couches to hang around on. However, to get up to where the living areas were you had to open one door with a code then a second door with a key and then finally your bedroom door with a second key. In addition, they had strict policies that only paying guests were allowed anywhere up in the living area. Honestly, I've been fine in hostels with far less security, so I was confident that my stuff was safe at Rock Solid.

We woke up bright and early the next morning to continue our adventures in Rotorua. For our second day we decided to do some nature and culture touring. In the morning we went out for an adventure with the Rotorua Canopy Tours company, and in the afternoon we spent a few hours exploring the Whakarewarewa Maori village.

     

Rotorua Canopy Tour

      

      Sunday morning we were picked up outside our hostel by the large white Rotorua Canopy Tours van. As I stepped inside to find a seat I was greeted by our tour host for the day and 4 other guests that would be coming along with us.

      

      The van took us to the RCT main building where we met another 4 guests to make a total of 10 people in our touring group. What were we signing up for you may ask? Well maybe this picture will give you a clue...

     

       If you didn't guess from the picture, Rotorua Canopy Tours is a company that takes groups of people out for a zip lining tour through the treetops in the nearby Dansey Road Scenic Reserve. It is one of the last remaining untouched forests left in New Zealand and RTC has been raising money through their canopy tours to aid in their conservation efforts.

We started the tour by getting set up in our harnesses and helmets and then hopping in the van for the 20 minutes ride to the reserve. As soon as I stepped out the van and turned towards the forest, I was greeted by a huge thick wall of green.

 A small path snaked away from the road into the dense foliage. The air was thick with the musty smell of forest and plant life. As we walked along the path, we were surrounding by huge thick trees rising into the sky and creating a dense canopy above while ferns and palms filled the gaps at the forest floor. Our tour guides informed us that this was one of the only forests on NZ with untouched trees. Most other forests had been cut down long ago and replanted later. Some of the trees we walked by were hundreds of years old.

Surprisingly, the forest was actually pretty quiet. As I later learned, before people started arriving on New Zealand it was an island almost entirely composed of birds and reptiles; there were no native land mammals. Therefore, many of the native New Zealand birds had not evolved the usual defenses against those types of creature. In fact a large percentage of their natural birds were flightless and lived in burrows in the ground. When people started coming over however, they brought many land mammals with them such as rats and possums. These animals quickly decimated the native bird population and caused many species to go extinct. The Dansey Reserve is one of the few places where they are attempting to revitalize that population, but there are still shockingly few birds given how big the reserve is, so the normal forest noises you might expect to hear are often absent.

Soon we reached the first platform on our journey. There they gave us a rundown of the safety procedures. There were ten platforms total throughout the tour with 7 zip lines and 2 bridges to cross.

 One of the tour guides was always in front of the group to help each person onto the platforms and one was at the back of the group to hook you on to the line and make sure everyone got across.

It was a beautiful and exciting journey through the tree tops. The harness hooked you to the rollers on the group using two thick ropes. Other than those points of contact you were free to swing your arms and legs freely as you flew through the canopy.

   

The highest platform was about 70 feet off the ground and the longest zip line was 220 meters.

The whole tour took about 3 hours. It was extraordinarily beautiful and very exciting. I was able to get some really gorgeous photos and even got to see a couple New Zealand Silver Ferns which stand as the national symbol. 

I would recommend a trip with Rotorua Canopy tours to anyone who loves to mix in a little adventure with some nature sightseeing. The tour was fun and informative and we got to meet a lot of really cool and interesting people.

Nothing like swinging through the treetops to bring a bunch of strangers together!

      

Whakarewarewa

After being driven back to our hostel we had a quick stop for lunch at The Brew café and bar (where I had a delicious BLT and chips) before catching the #2 bus out to our next stop for the day. Getting off the bus we had to walk about two blocks before arriving outside the gates of the Whakarewarewa Maori village.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but as you cross the first bridge into the village you will quickly notice that it is very different than the usual tourist stop. A group gathers at the edge of the bridge with a tour guide to take you around the village. You don’t have to go with the tour, but I would recommend it as it is the only way to really understand the history and importance of the area.

       

Crossing the bridge you can instantly see that you are standing on top of an active geothermal area. Large steam clouds rise from hot bubbling pools just on the village’s edge.

Old worn houses are perched just feet from the hot pool which are fenced off for safety.

The tour guide took us through the different hot pool and explained their history with the village. Whakarewarewa calls itself a living Maori village. As the tour guide explains all of the people in the village actually live there and use the natural resources, and many of them work during the day in normal jobs and careers in Rotorua. Every house in the village is owned by a family who can trace their lineage back to the original tribe.

Perhaps one of the neatest things to witness in the village is the fascinating blend of traditional and modern. The villagers love to continue to use the natural resources of the geothermal area they sit stop. The tour guide showed us how they use wooden boxes over hot steam vents to cook their meat...

and can boil various vegetable in the hot pools.

I even got to try some of the delicious corn they boiled in the hot pools right before my eyes.

In addition they will siphon off water from the pools into large concrete holes that they use for bathing. The minerals in the water are supposed to be very good for the skin and health and the villagers use the natural baths often and regularly.

Very few people need to pay for heating or appliances because they have the natural heat from the Earth for free.

Yet, the villagers still work normal jobs, drive cars, watch TV and do other modern everyday things. I love and recognize the beauty in how they've chosen to live their lives. They keep their heritage, speak the Maori language and use the resources at their fingertips, but still take advantage of the conveniences of the normal world. I think it is inspiring to see people who recognize that being modern doesn't mean you have to give up the uses of the world around you.

After the tour, we continued to explore different parts of the village. Everywhere we had the chance to see the signs of the slow moving Earth beneath us.

A bubbling hot mud pool that we found just to the side of one of the houses.

It may not look it, but the water in this lake is actually boiling hot!

The brief eruption of a geyser just off of the Whakarewarewa village borders.

 As we left the village it was time to head back to where our bus would pick us up to go home. It was a short but exciting weekend. It provided me with a much needed break from my studies and while I wish I could have had more time there, I appreciate the things I did get to see and experience. I hope that if you ever come to New Zealand you’ll take the opportunity to see the variety there is in Rotorua.

New Zealand Flowers

One thing that has really stood out to me since I arrived in New Zealand is how beautiful and green it is! Now I know that there are probably greener places on Earth, but compared to the desert I hail from in Utah, New Zealand is a few steps up! 

That being said I have taken it upon myself to wander around my yard and neighborhood to take pictures of as many different plants and flowers as I could. I attempted to find out the names of each of them, but Google was being slow! :P However, I am going to continue to try and figure out their names and I will update this page whenever I do, or if any of you out there know what they're called be sure to tell me!

ENJOY!

Omaio (above)

Bottlebrush (above)

Limes!!

In The Mountains

I have just seen one of the most beautiful places I have ever been blessed enough to set foot on. Today has been such an exhausting day. We started bright and early, meeting up at 8am to take a four hour bus ride out to the gorgeous city of Nikko.

As we pulled into the city we stopped for a quick lunch of Udon (large Japanese noodles, usually served in bowls of soup) before taking a short walk to the Nikko Shinto shrine. Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. It’s beliefs are based on the idea that there are various gods representing elements such as wind, water, the forest, the river, the mountain and so on. They build shrines to each God in order to elicit blessing from them and stave off curses. They also believe that when they die they become Gods as well, and so they build family shrines in order to worship the spirits of their ancestors.

At the front of the shrine you first use a spring of water and a ladle to wash your hands and rinse out your mouth, so you can enter the shrine “clean”. From there you can wander in and around the different buildings and statues. In front of each one you can make wishes to the Gods by bowing twice clapping twice then bowing once while making your wish and throwing a coin into the shrine.

It was a beautiful shrine set into the back drop of a forest mountain. Even the city had the back woods old-town feel. The buildings were small and compact, blending in with the atmosphere of the place. Huge trees shaded the many walkways, and snow was still piled off to the sides of the paths. At one point we came across a box that you could put 100 yen into and pull out a fortune. We all decided to do it out of curiosity and had our friends translate the characters for us. Mine was a “so-so” good luck one as they described it. Dr. Namora went into a little more detail for me saying that it said, I should be careful not to spend too much money, that if I make a wish it had an 80% chance of coming true, and that my love life was looking promising. It was entertaining if nothing else to read the little fortune which I immediately tucked into my wallet for safekeeping.

Up a few hundred stairs we found the shrine to a famous general who was buried there. As we walked around the monument we came to the hollow trunk of a 600 year old tree. The students translated the sign in front of it saying that it was said to be good luck if you prayed to the tre and then shouted your wish into its trunk. Cythia, Shannon, and I decided to go for it, and elicited smiles and a few laughs from our Japanese friends, as we wished for help in our schooling and health to our families.

After we finished exploring the shrine Dr. Namora gave us a choice. We could head back to the school now, or we could drive another hour up a winding mountain road to where we could see a huge waterfall. We chose the waterfall :D

As it turned out we had to buy tickets to ride an elevator to the base of the waterfall, since there was no path to walk down, and the mountain was windy and snow-covered anyways. So a quick ride 90m down we walked out onto a platform and looked up in awe at the crashing waterfall in front of us. It has been a long time since I have seen a waterfall like that. It was so beautiful. As the freezing cold water crashed to the rocks below scattering puffs of snow into the air, Icicles clung to the mountain face, and the cold blue river flowed away below. It was simply spectacular. I could have stood there for hours admiring the sheer power of mother nature, but alas the biting fierce wind drove us to make our way back up the mountain and onto our bus, tucked in and warm for the long ride back home.

We made it into Tsukuba around 8ish and stopped at what appeared to be a Japanese steakhouse. It was a little on the more pricey side, but as I dug into my sizzling plate of chicken, sausage, and beef it was the perfectly scrumptious way to end a beautiful day.

Food Coma

I have never eaten so much in my life!! I am stuffed full and happy as can be. Today we were lucky enough to be shown around a couple of the traditional sights around Ibaraki prefecture. Our first stop? Kairakuen, one of the top three famuos gardens in Japan and a wonderful place to see the plum blossoms. A little fact for you: the plum blossom blooms first in the season and is then followed by the iconic cherry blossom. Dr. Namura informed us that sadly the plum blossoms were blooming a little late this year so there would not be very many at the park yet, but it would still be beautiful. (I decided this just means I HAVE to come again sometime too see the trees in full bloom ;D)

A bus picked us us from the school bright and early and we headed out about an hours drive to the city of Mito. There we arrived at Kairakuen garden. As we walked along the path to the garden's entrance it wasn't long before we began to see stalls lining the walkway, each sporting various delicious looking foods. Dr Namura had had us stop by a supermarket prior to arriving at the park so we could pick up some lunch to eat while we were there but had I known this feast would await me I wouldn't have bought anything. However despite the fact I already had food in my bag there was just no passing up all of the amazing aromas drifting towards us.

My first conquest? A pancake of sorts filled with a warm custard. As the cook handed it to me and the warm smell filled the air, I knew I had made the right choice. I bit into it as we made our way towards the park entrance and I was amazed by how absolutely delicious it was. As my taste and smell were being gratified by the treat, my sight was suddenly filled with joy as we entered a path winding between blossoming plum trees. We were met at the front of the park by our tour guide who began leading us along a path that lead past a field where families were picnicking and listening to a group of elderly women who were playing some string instruments. We stopped for a moment to listen. It was beautiful.

As we continued on we saw a crowd of people surrounding some tables and being served tea by a group of kimono clad men and women kneeling in the middle. When we asked Maggie what was going on she explained that one of the kneeling men was playing a character from a famous Japanese TV show and they were holding a traditional tea ceremony that the guests to the park could participate in (if they were willing to wait in an hour or more long line). If I had not been obligated to follow along behind a group I would have joined in despite the wait, but alas it was not to be.

Moving forward, our guide led us along paths winding through the plum orchard. The bright pink and white flowers were beautiful. I only wish I could be here when they were in full bloom, as many of the trees we got to see were still only budding.Beyond the plum trees the scenery suddenly changed as we entered a new area of the park. Here we found ourselves surrounded by a grove of tall lanky trees packed in tightly with a canopy of green foliage spreading out at the top. The bamboo forest brought back memories of the pandas I got to see at the Shanghai zoo. The path through the trees led to a natural spring that they had rerouted up through a giant marble block. It was one of three such fountains found in the park.

We had made a full circle around the park and now we found ourselves back at the picnic area, the women still playing their instruments off to the side. We sat in the grass to eat our lunch; I had tempura shrimp and vegetables. Some of the various fried yummies you can get at any grocery store, and most convenience stores. We were released for some free time after that and I set off with Cynthia in search of the plum ice cream we had seen on sale when we came into the park. It was easy to find its large posters sporting purple ice cream cones and a couple hundred yen later I was holding the treat in my hand; eagerly savoring its tangy sweet flavor.

We decided to explore up and down the stalls to see what the different merchants were selling. I was pretty full by this time, but it wasn’t long before I knew that I was about to be a whole lot more full. I was roped in quickly as I rounded a corner and came face to face with a stand selling fried squid. Although they were cooking it differently then my dear friends at my Changzhou night market, I knew I had to have it. Cynthia had also found a stall selling large Takoyaki deliciousness. We purchased the two and decided to share then between us.

Food in hand we then decided to go check out what was going on around a large crowd that had gathered down one of the paths. As we approached we heard the loud high pitched voice of a Japanese woman coming from the center of the circle. We found a couple seats on a bench near the front and sat to observe as she showed off her pet monkey to the crowd. With drum in hand she called out commands to the small creature as she hit out a beat. She had him get up on some stilts and walk around jumping over hurdles and climbing sets of wooden stairs. All-in-all he was very well trained, but the animal lover inside me couldn’t help but cringe. I really couldn’t decide whether or not I should be entertained or upset by the display of human dominance over the tiny creature. It’s a fine line to walk I think. After all no one bats an eye when someone trains their dogs to ride skateboards, hop on two feet, or do back flips, but everyone freaks out when you try to do it with a monkey. Perhaps its because the dogs seem happy to do it, whereas that little monkey seemed rather ticked off at his predicament.

We quickly dissected the squid as we made our way back to the bus with our group, and the Takoyaki followed soon after as we drove to our next stop on the other side of Ibaraki prefecture. Beside the ocean along one of the sections of the coast affected by the tsunami last spring we came to one of Ibaraki prefectures famous fresh fish markets. My ears rang with the din of sellers and buyers haggling over fish as I breathed in the salty aroma permeating the air. Rows and rows of every fish imaginable lined the stalls, drying squid and fish hung from poles or were attached to rotating racks. Vendors served up fried shrimp, smoke oysters, and crab leg soup. We wandered up and down the rows admiring the fresh meat, and enjoying the free samples offered to us. I bought a hot cocoa out of a vending machine (one of the million that you can find everywhere offering any number of things to buy) and sipped it down as I munch on a Jumbo shrimp skewer, and before departing I bought myself a fish cake to enjoy later. By this time I was so full of yumminess I thought I would burst, instead I lay my head down and enjoyed a nice nap as we drove an hour and a half back to the school.

We had about an hour break before the students would meet us to take us out on the town for dinner. I stumbled up to my room and took a quick nap still a little dragged down by jet lag and then arrived refreshed to the community center. Our fare for the evening? A Korean BBQ :D For those of you who don’t know what that entails let me break it down for you ;) We arrived at the restaurant and were led back to a set of booths where we removed our shoes and climbed up onto a platform where the table was. I ordered a plate with slices of raw pork and beef that arrived at my table alongside a bowl of salad and some pickled sprouts and peppers. In the middle of our table was a small grill where we got to cook our own meat. It was SO MUCH FUN. It brought back fond memories of hot pot as I used the provided tongs to cook my meat to perfection. The thin slices were tender and delicious and probably one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Honestly before dinner I hadn’t been sure I had room for more food, but boy did I prove myself wrong; THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR MORE! :D :D

Back at the dorms I crawled into bed stuffed to the brim. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much GOOD food in such a small amount of time. I never knew what a true food coma was until that day, and as I slipped contentedly into slumber I knew for a certainty that this whole trip was worth it for all the amazing things I get to eat ;D

In The Hills

Our second day in Beijing was a day filled with beauty and nature. Heading an hour out of the city center we began our journey at the expansive grounds of the Summer Palace. Here is where the Emperors and their family and servants would retire to when they wanted a summer respite from the confines of the Forbidden City Palace. I wish I could have had more time in Beijing so that we could have spent longer at the Summer Palace, but I think you could spend a couple days there and still not see all there is to see. Pagodas, temples, statues, courtyards, living quarters and a huge lake are scattered across the 2.9 square kilometers that make up the palace grounds.

Wandering through woods and grass and along dirt paths we were able to find countless numbers of these hidden treasures. It was like being in a storybook or a movie. It really was beautiful.

Nearing the lake from the north end we came to the long corridor; a wooden walkway stretching the length of that section of the lake. The ceiling was painted with countless murals each unique. We found a lot more people nearby the corridor than we had the wooded hills northward.

Dragon boats floated along the lake, taking passengers to various docks.

Walking along the edge we found the seventeen-arch-bridge. Made of marble and spanning the distance to a nearby island, it was a sight to be seen It was decorated with numerous Chinese lions each one unique from the rest.

We also came across a man playing with some toys that I recognized from home. I can't remember what they're called, but I had played with them before, and attempted to again.

I think my skills may have dwindled however haha ;)

Every building we found was so colorful and decorative. It really showed how much more open and relaxed the Summer Palace was.

It's a place to wander among the trees and feel a cool breeze. A place to sit and paint or write. To just enjoy life.

After leaving the Summer Palace we went trekking through the street looking for a bus stop to catch to our next destination. We got a little turned around and couldn't figure out where it was. We ended up standing there for a few minutes wondering what to do until we finally saw the bus we needed go by. We began following it, hoping that it would lead us to the stop. However, when we were still walking a few minutes later we realized that we probably should have gone the other way. However, we ended up being pretty content with our choice since we eventually did find a bus stop and along the way we got to see a lot of cool things.

It was kind of a run down area with people mulling around doing odd jobs. Children were playing in doorways, and each place we passed we got quick glances from the people inside. It was a different side than most tourists get to see.

After riding the bus for about half an hour we were dropped off a short walk from Xiangshan Park. One of the reasons I really wanted to see this place was because I heard it was one of the best places to see the fall red leaves. It was something I really missed about home. As we walked into the park it did not disappoint.

It was a sea of red, yellow and orange. As we walked along the trail, for the first time I almost felt at home. It was eerily similar to walking through the mountains back home and it brought a smile to my face to know that my two worlds could be connected by something so simple and beautiful.

One tip when it comes to names in China if the park has the word "Shan" in it you can count on there being a mountain to climb since Shan in fact means mountain. So I was expecting it when we came to a trail map that showed how far it was to the peak. From where we were to the top it was about a mile and we had to get back down as well. We needed to get back to our hostel by 6:30 to get our ride to an opera show we were going to so we only had about an hour and half left in the park. Nick, Kareena, and I looked at each other, smiled and knew that a challenge had been issued that must be taken. So we left the others to explore at the base of the mountain while we began our sprint for the top. Now normally walking two miles in an hour is easy to do, but you have to understand exactly what we were up against. Not only were we going up a mountain, we were going almost STRAIGHT up a mountain. It seems the Chinese have an affinity for stairs taller than they are. The majority of the hike was spent climbing as quickly as we could (and as quickly as we dared) up stairs that at some points I had to practically use my hands to get up.

Eventually Kareena and I had Nick go on ahead while he kept working our way upwards. We weren't sure if we'd have time to make it up before we had to begin heading down and we wanted him to at least make it. But don't worry, Kareena and I are a couple of stubborn headed girls who would not be denied. When we got to the point where we could see the top within reach, we just started scrambling as fast as we could. I startled a couple of Chinese coming down, with my monkey like climbing up those ridiculous stairs.

All our hard work paid off when we were standing on that precipice looking down over that sea of trees. Nothing has ever made me so happy as knowing that I had made it up that mountain.

At the top almost every tree and railing had red ribbons tied around them with names and messages from Chinese who had been up there.

It reminded me of the locks on all of the chains on Huangshan. I wish I had had time to put one of my own on but alas we had to get back down that mountain and time was ticking. Getting down was almost as hard as getting up. Especially since we were in a hurry.

I was basically clutching the cold metal railing with both hands as I ran/jumped down those same stupidly steep steps that I had just been clambering up, while Chinese yelled at me (probably to slow down and stop trying to get myself killed). It was kind of scary, but I think that made it even more fun for me. Kareena was behind me attempting not to roll her bad ankle.

Finally we made it back down to the relatively flat area and we had about 10 minutes left and a good half-mile to go. So the two of us put our heels to the wind and started running. With the steep stairs behind us we were really able to get some speed up. I'm pretty sure some of the people we passed must have thought we were a little cuckoo. It was the first time I had had a good run in a while and it felt so good! As we rounded the last corner and met back up with Nick and the others we were elated. We had made it!!

Basically we were the coolest people ever and we so knew it ;)

Leaving the park we attempted to get on a bus back to the metro, but for some reason the one we wanted to take wasn't working so we went sprinting down the road further to a different bus stop where we hopped on and immediately got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam. We hadn't accounted for something like that happening and it took far too long to get back to the metro. Then it still took us a good 40 minutes to get back to the hostel and by that time it was already after 7. We had missed our show but the hostel was really cool and said that we could go the next day instead, but they warned us if we didn't make it back this time they would only refund part of our money (although honestly I'm surprised they would refund us at all!)

With the show out of our minds we all immediately realized how hungry we were. A couple girls we met in the lobby told us to go next door where there was a restaurant with an English menu and really good fried rice. So we followed their advice and ate some super yummy food. Afterwards a few of us decided to go get some ice cream and began wandering down the street when we ran into some of our other teachers. About half of us were in my group who decided to do things on our own, while the other half had decided to do a three-day guided tour of Beijing instead. They told us of a cool street not to far away and so we followed them and explored around the city for awhile before ending up at a McDonalds where we got our delicious ice cream.

On the way back to the hostel an epic idea was formed. Earlier the previous day Ashley and I had both proven that we could piggy-back Nick and walk with him (we are the two shortest girls in the group). So we decided to have a piggy-back race!!! With Nick poised to jump on my back and Louis ready to hop on Ashley I was confident in my abilities to win. I had done this a million times and had no problems carrying around big guys. So Kelly ran ahead and counted us off.

Tragedy struck when, as soon as he hopped on, my legs crumpled beneath me. I hadn't exactly accounted for the physical feat I had accomplished earlier that day, and I hadn't realized just how tired my poor legs were. Laughing hysterically we reorganized and decided to try it a way that made more sense. With me and Ashley on the boys backs. Now I had complete faith in Nick. He was a solid , strong guy and should have no problems carrying me. So as Kelly counted off once again I knew we had it in the bag.

#3.....I was poised ready to jump on 2.....I crouched ready to spring up....3! I jumped on Nick's back, he took a step and suddenly I was falling head first toward the ground. I managed to tuck and roll rather than slam my head into the ground and ended up face down on the ground laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Nick jumped up quickly convinced he had killed me. As soon as he knew I was all right we were surrounded by people and all of us just sat and laughed for a good while until we could compose ourselves.

Due to extenuating circumstances we decided to reconvene the match when Nick and I were in a proper physical state to compete. Our beds were more comfortable than ever before that night.