I am happy to say that I have safely made it back to Shenyang. After 10 days, 2 train rides, 2 bus rides, a 7-hour ferry, and some seriously cheap hotels, my trip has come to an end. Crazy how quickly it came and went. After my amazing time in Qingdao, I made my way to Yantai by bus, where I was quickly "kidnapped" by a taxi that took me to a "hostel" about a half hour outside of the city. The place was actually fairly nice, but it was empty and in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I was only staying for 1 night. So, I didn't really get to see Yantai, but I did have help at the hotel booking my ferry for the next day leaving around noon.
The ferry was interesting and a bit long. Luckily, I met an awesome Canadian couple who had recently arrived in China and hung out with them for the whole 7 hours. When I finally arrived in Dalian, an old student of mine (Murphy) that goes to university there met me at the train station to help me find a hotel for the 4 nights. The first two places (very cheap places) didn't allow foreigners to stay, so after a bit of a struggle we managed to hike up to the fifth floor of a small hotel that gave me a room for 60 kuai (about $9) a night. It was a private room with 2 small beds, which was nice, and I was happy to see that I even had my own bathroom. The only catch was that the shower didn't work, but the man who worked there assured me that it would work tomorrow (something I heard everyday until the day I checked out). Needless to say, I went without a shower the whole time I was in Dalian. Only 4 days, it could have been worse.
Dalian was awesome. My hotel was about a 5 minute walk from the train station, which is a chaotic bustling mess of people and markets and food and blankets laid out on the ground with random shit for sale. It was always dirty, full of people, crowded, loud, and a lot of fun. I spent the first day just wandering around on my own and checking out the city and some seaside areas. It was a good intro to the city, but the second day was the best.
Murphy and I got up very early and hopped on a bus to DiscoveryLand, an amusement park type place about an hour outside of the city. The tickets and transportation both ways only cost 135 kuai (23 bucks), and all day we rode rides, watched a ridiculously tacky parade, saw a couple shows, and got wet on an awesome water ride. The park was a bit smaller than the ones we are used to in the U.S. but it was still a great day. The rest of my time in Dalian was spent visiting a very peaceful and beautiful park, going to a very cool seaside area that had bungee jumping and random crazy rides, strolling along a Russian street which was really just a long street selling cheap Chinese/Russian crap, and wandering around by myself in random parts of the city. At times I have to admit that it got a bit lonely, since I am used to staying at hostels and meeting people, but I made the best of it anyway.
My last stop was Dandong, which I arrived at by bus around noon, on my birthday. Luckily, Murphy had made me a reservation at a hotel that was in a great location, and a nice old man walked me to the hotel since he could tell I had no idea where I was going, and even waited till I checked in to leave. Sometimes the random helpfullness and kindness of Chinese people really blows me away. This was the seond time I was walked to my accommodation, and this time it was raining. I think the old man felt bad for the stupid lost American without an umbrella who has the Chinese skills of a four year old.
Dandong is located right across the river from North Korea, and there is an entire park area that you can walk along to see the city. The weather wasn't that great and it was actually a bit depressing. The bridge that connects China to North Korea is located right next to the bridge that ths U.S. bombed during the Korean War, and you can walk on the bridge halfway between the two countries. I walked around this area for a while and noticed the stark difference between the Chinese side and the North Korean side (which seems desolate and empty).
I did manage to find this cool little restaurant that Mollie had recommended to me (and also gave me some money to go and treat myself to some nice American food/drink!), and had an awesome American style breakfast. It was a nice treat on my birthday.
After one night in Dandong, I made my way to the train station for a 5 hour ride back to Shenyang. I got home around 6:30pm, and it was so nice to catch up with my awesome roommates and just relax at home.
It was nice to get back to school and see all the students and other teachers, but the highlight of being home happened last night. We had a small party to celebrate my birthday, and Mollie and everyone else cooked spaghetti and garlic bread. It was a great meal, and afterwards I was told to go to my room while a surprise was prepared for me. When I came out, there was a cake waiting for me, and everyone sung happy birthday. We all circled around the cake with forks and spoons and devoured the delicious cake within minutes. It was awesome.
But, the best part was my present. Mollie put together a photo album full of the pictures of our time so far in China, and everyone wrote a nice note to me inside. It was very surprising and such a great idea (Mollie, you're awesome!)
Anyway, I have a ton of pictures of the last 2 weeks, and hope to have them loaded online soon.
I hope everyone's doing well back home, and I miss you all.
Much love.
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