With T-minus 5 days until the group flight to Rome, my final week in the States has been a whirlwind of good times, good-byes, and good packing! When it comes to choosing which of my precious garments get to embark on a semester-long field trip to Europe, I feel like Tyra Banks at the end of an episode of America’s Next Top Model, when she has to eliminate a contestant BUT THEY’RE ALL SO PRETTY SO IT’S A REALLY TOUGH DECISION!  Alas, I learned that when it comes to packing light, versatility is key. So, in my best imitation of Tyra Banks, here I am, modeling how to style the same pieces for multiple situations!

Olive Green Sweater Dress in 3 Types of Weather:

1. For the scorching hot days of September…

I’ll wear the sweater dress plain, but add sunglasses to protect my eyes from the scorching Mediterranean sun, slip on Sperry’s for comfy walking as I explore the Eternal City, and carry an oversized purse to fit my Loyola water bottle. Gotta stay hydrated!

2. When it starts to cool off in mid-autumn…

I’ll throw a tan cardigan over my shoulders and wear tall leather boots to fit the fall mood. A cute drop necklace really adds to this outfit’s bohemian vibe!

3. As the holiday season approaches…

I thrifted this comfy green vintage sweatshirt to compliment my green sweater dress, and black tights with black booties to keep warm. Hot chocolate not included 🙁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Printed Button-Down for 3 Different Occasions:

1. At my internship…

I’m channeling boss ladies everywhere, pairing my blouse with a conservative pencil skirt and some simple black flats. The Warby Parkers aren’t just fashionable….I actually need them to see.

2. In class…

After I roll out of bed in the morning, I’ll opt for a simple outfit with blue jeans and my comfy Sperry’s. I suspect that class will also require a bit of reading, hence the glasses.

3. For a night on the town…

I’m imagining myself at a wine tasting (but that’s grape juice in my hand). Pulling out the sunnies again with dressy shorts (check out the gold buttons!) and adorable wedges (because stilettos and cobblestones aren’t friends).

I hope this was helpful for my fellow last-minute packers and future Rome travelers! Remember, “versatile” is spelled the same in English and Italian 🙂

Tanti abbracci (lots of hugs), Daryn

Three years ago my family and I visited Vietnam during Christmas break. In preparation for the trip, my father purchased a series of books on Vietnamese history and culture. Among these was Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried, a semi-autobiographical novel on his experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War, or the American War as it is called in Vietnam. It is a novel that will change you whether or not you think the conflict took place in Vietnam, and much of inland Southeast Asia, was warranted. It is piece of art that effortlessly explains the complex realities of war, love and humanity.

I began the book on the way to Thailand after finding that my Spotify had conveniently decided not work. Towards the middle of our stay in Chiang Mai, I came across a chapter in which O’Brien recounts the story his fellow platoon members greeting the corpse of man who had died in an air strike. Fairly new to the war, O’Brian refuses to follow the lead of his platoon members when they each shake the man’s hand:

“…I didn’t go near the body. I didn’t even look at it except for by accident. For the rest of the day there was still that sickness inside me, but it wasn’t the man’s corpse so much, it was the awesome act of greeting the dead…They proposed toasts. They lifted their canteens and drank to the old man’s family and ancestors, his many grandchildren, his newfound life after death. It was more than mockery. There was a formality to it, like a funeral without the sadness.”

Awesome? Describing such a morbid moment as awesome seemed out of the scope of what the adjective awesome can and should describe. In a brief moment of wanting to prove the word choice of a phenomenally brilliant writer wrong I looked the word awesome up:

Awesome /

Adj. extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear: the awesome power of the atomic bomb.

<SPECIAL USAGE> INFORMAL extremely good; excellent: the band it truly awesome!

Here I was 21 years into life thinking that the meaning awesome was limited to its informal usage. Some of you may already know what awesome means (in fact, I am almost sure most of you do) – but for me this discovery has changed the way I experienced the rest of Thailand and how I hope to experience Ho Chi Minh City where Emily, myself and seventeen other students arrived Wednesday. For me, awesome is no longer taking a really nice hot shower or a sarcastic response to a question.

On our second full day in Chiang Mai Emily and I visited a sanctuary for elephants about two hours north of the city. We got there in the back of a covered pick-up truck and proceeded to spend the next five hours loving, feeding and bathing elephants (baby elephants, too!). There was absolutely no riding, as all riding even if it is bareback is bad for their backs, and we were even taught about the realities of life as working elephant and rehabilitation. It was honestly one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. Holding a banana in your hand, screaming ‘BON BON!’ and feeling the earth rumble as elephants stampede towards you – that is awesome.

Soon we left Chiang Mai and found ourselves and a tiny little AirBnb in rural Bangkok. The guesthouse was situated right on a series of canals and Pao, the guesthouse owner, set us up with a boat tour on our first night. The next morning after breakfast he came running upstairs and said, “Big boat. Special surprise. You are lucky!” We grabbed our cameras and ran downstairs to hop on a larger boat then the evening before. Some amount of time later we were in a different village at a bridge blessing ceremony (although this was only discovered after finding someone who could explain what was happening in English). Seeing a crocodile in some rural Bangkok canal on a rickety wooden boat – that is awesome.

Now we are in Ho Chi Minh City where we will be for the next three and a half months. The food is delicious, the temperature is hot and the rain is torrential. We’ve spent the past two days getting to know each other, learning how to count ridiculous quantities of dong (Vietnamese currency) and napping. This morning at orientation we were reminded that our time here will in fact include school. This is the first time that all of my fellow study abroad companions have been to Vietnam and I am amazed at their willingness to put themselves out of their comfort zones. Leaving home for a new country and city they’ve never been to before – that is awesome.

I in no way want to make it seem like these experiences even slightly compare to the awesomeness that O’Brien and his fellow soldiers experienced in Vietnam. But with that said I believe that words are powerful and that using words in a purposeful and deliberate way is important. The vocabulary we choose and how we choose to use it says a lot about how we perceive and interact with our daily lives. For me the word awesome has forever been changed by Tim O’Brien, Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, random boat rides in Bangkok and my fellow Vietnam Center students.

“Sisi! Sisi! Sisi!” Before I can step foot inside the house half a dozen children are already upon me. Running, hugging, speaking, pulling me every which-way… and I absolutely love it! I come here at least once a week, to the township of Khayelitsha, and spend a minimum of three hours helping, talking, laughing, and having a blast with over forty kids at the orphanage.

Before I get into how much I love it and how the experience is so rewarding, I want to explain a little about the township and the orphanage itself. Khayelitsha is one of the many townships located in what is known as the Cape Flats. The region is exactly like it sounds: flat. During the apartheid era, black and coloured families were forcibly removed from the city center and placed in the Cape Flats. Since then, violence, crime, drugs, and poverty have been a rampant problem. Development in the townships has been slow and many of the services promised by the government have failed to follow through. Local organizations within the township have arisen with the goal of combating these issues.

12 years ago Mama Evelyn* opened her doors to the orphans of Khayelitsha and Abaphumeleli was created. She saw many children without homes and decided that she wanted to do something to help. She chose the name Abaphumeleli because of its meaning “Home of Safety”. This is what Mama wanted to give these children, a home. Since then, Abaphumeleli has provided shelter, food, clothes, an education, safety, and a family for the over 40 children currently in residence and the children who no longer live there. The newest addition to Mama’s family is a beautiful 2-month-old girl named Angel. Mama does not turn any child away. The children under her care come from different background, parents who gave them up, parents addicted to drugs and alcohol, and parents who have passed away.

It is hard to imagine anyone going through what these children have, and yet every day I see them they are full of smiles. They welcome all visitors and enjoy the company, showing off their spelling, jump-roping, singing, and dancing skills. My job here as a volunteer is pretty simply to have fun! No, that is not it exactly, but that is what it feels like it should be. I arrive and the first thing I do is get the children started on their schoolwork. I can only help with math, spelling, and English, so any Xhosa homework they have I am useless. After about an hour of work, most children have finished so it is time to have fun. There is a small play structure in the orphanage and the boys love getting the ball out to play soccer in the street. For the next two hours it’s games and dancing. I made the mistake once of trying to cheer up one of the kids with Snapchat filters. Suffice it to say, the next hour was spent taking picture of every child with different filters on their face. They had so much fun and it was hilarious seeing their faces when the filters would change.

I love volunteering. Helping others is one of my passions and always gives me such joy to know that the smile on another’s face is because of me. The fact that these faces are of children makes it that much more rewarding. I can already tell that my last day at the orphanage will be full of tears but it won’t be full of “goodbyes”, only “see you laters”.

*In South Africa when you are welcomed into another’s home, you call the woman/mother of the household “Mama”. It’s an expression of respect, endearment, and captures the unique perspective of community.

Hello from sleep deprived me. We just finished our 13 day trip across China to follow the Silk Road, which I have to say was one of the coolest trips I’ve ever taken. I don’t think I ever would have traveled 2 hours from the Pakistan border on my own.

It was our last night in Kashgar, the final city on our trip, and a group of us wanted to hang out so we decided to venture next door to get icecream (my common diet here has been kabobs, dumplings, and icecream). Across the street from our hotel was a giant statue of Chairman Mao, and a huge park called the People’s Park. We decided to sit under the shadow of Mao to eat our icecream. To the left of us in the huge square there was a couple of young men playing with a remote controlled car, with 2 little boys chasing after it. On the right, there were 10 soldiers sitting watching the statue. And in front, there were at least 5 military/police cars. And we just sat there on the bridge casually eating our icecream, all while telling ourselves, “we’re actually in China.”

Getting to Kashgar is also a story of it’s own. We got to the train station in the middle of Turpan, only to find out that there was a sand storm and our train was indefinitely delayed. The only hotel nearby was in my opinion rated a half of a star, but we stayed there anyways. My roommates pillow was yellow, and my bedframe was completely broken. Safe to say, I sat on the steps outside of the hotel from 7pm to 1 am. At 3am, we were woken up to get on our 16 hour train, and proceeded to spend the next 16 hours on an overnight train to Kashgar.

It’s almost impossible to detail the entire trip and all the memories in one blog but here’s a few:

Xi’an: Bustling city with Muslim Street. Great for bartering (I’m getting really good at it). Here we biked on the city wall and went to see the Terracotta Warriors.

Lanzhou: Famous beef noodles, though we ate them for breakfast – still getting used to eating non breakfasty things for breakfast. Also my birthday was here. We went for hotpot (accidentally got spam and vegetarian chicken), tried to go to a music bar which ended up being another hotpot restaurant, and then went to a pub.

Xiahe: See my previous post about Tibet!

Dunhuang: Mogao caves were actually really cool. They are holes in the rock with tons of painting and hidden statues on the inside. Of course it only rains like once a year in this desert town, and of course it rains while we’re there. We got to ride camels in the morning to see the sunrise (except not really because it was so cloudy) BUT riding a camel and climbing the sand dunes was very very cool. I named my camel “Cami.”

Turpan: Where we discovered real NAAN. As a bread lover this is the best discovery ever.

Kashgar: Giant Mao statue and second largest Bazaar ever. Also lamb kabobs – these will now be a thing when I return. I didn’t think I would like lamb. Also since I said I’d try everything, we tried Lamb feet, safe to say I’m not a fan.

And now about the title of my blog – On the 6 hour plane home, I dumbly chose to sit in the middle seat so I could sit by my friend. Of course, a random person sat in the aisle seat. I have no problem sitting next to strangers, however I do have a problem if they sit in my part of the seat. This man was lounging so hard that he was half in my seat and I was not having it. So we were at war the entire plane ride to claim the armrest and everytime he’d get in my space I’d gently nudge him back. Also, I enjoyed making the flight attendant laugh because everytime he’d ask me if I needed something in English I’d respond in Chinese and it’d catch him off guard.

After spending hours on buses and trains, I feel so close to the 40 people in this program. Now that our main travel throughout China is done and classes are about to start, I can finally focus on getting routine back, and my Instagram won’t be as crazy.

Until next time: peace.

 

SIDE NOTE: If you texted me on my birthday I didn’t get it because I didn’t have my American SIM card in a phone. Message me on WeChat or What’s APP or facebook if you wanna talk (LOL).

China so far has been amazing! These past two weeks especially have been filled with adventures that taught me a lot about this beautiful country and the fellow students I have had the opportunity to share this experience with. I enjoyed every single moment of the Silk Road trip and will definitely not forget these two weeks spent exploring a very different side of China and meeting new people.

Our first stop was Xi’An, a city with a history even more complex and ancient than Beijing’s. We saw the Terracotta warriors as well as biked on the Great Wall of Xi’An. The view from the wall was breathtaking and totally worth the sweating and having an aching body the next day.

After a couple of days in Xi’An, we headed to Xia’He, where we learned more about the Tibetans. A Tibetan family generously hosted a dinner for our group, which was delicious and pretty entertaining! After drinking yak milk, eating yak meat, we were offered rice wine and were presented with a hada (a long cloth worn as a scarf). We then danced and sang. It was beautiful how we were still able to have an amazing time despite the language barrier and our different cultures.
The following day, we went to the Labrang monastery, where we observed some devout monks and Buddhists perform their daily rituals. We also went on a tiring hike for an hour, but once at the top, we were glad we made it. That second night, we went on a picnic and ended it by dancing around a bonfire and partying with the Tibetan nomads again.

Next stop: Lanzhou. Unfortunately, I was sick for the whole time we were there and missed out on our visit to the Gansu provincial museum and the noodles that this city is most famous for. On our way there, however, we stopped to visit the beautiful Linxia Sichuan Mosque. We also saw the schools near the mosque and interacted with some of the children.

Dunhuang was our fourth destination. We were all pretty tired and sick by that time, to be honest, but we were all also very excited to camp and ride camels. To start the day, I, and probably most of the other students, had the best breakfast of our lives. On the rooftop of a hotel, with an extraordinary view of the sand dunes, and a buffet, we were ready to start the day! Soon enough though, it started raining. Yes, in the desert! Our tour guide told us that it was the first time in several years since it rained in Dunhuang. We were all extremely disappointed when the camping/bonfire/watching the sunrise plans were cancelled. We still went on the camel rides though, which was truly an adventure! Getting on and off a camel was actually way harder than I imagined.

We then travelled to Turpan and explored the Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins under the burning sun, but once again, it was all worth it in the end. A Ughyur family then welcomed us with some really tasty food, including grapes. They also danced and sang to their traditional music and of course, we joined them!

The Silk Road trip ended in Kashgar,a beautiful city known for the giant statue of Mao that stands at the center of it. As planned, we went to Aba Khoja Mausoleum as well as the Id Gah Mosque. What I really enjoyed about this city though, was the bazaar and the old city, which makes it completely different from the rest of China. I also loved the ferris wheel and the paddle boats, which made the last day a relaxing one.

TWO UNFORGETTABLE WEEKS is how I would best describe this trip.

For my first blog post, I want to give you some advice. I don’t want to spoil my experience in Beijing to you just yet and nor do I want to tell you about the unforgettable Silk Road excursion I just came back from. I will tell you that I am having the time of my life and I am happy to be here. I will reveal more details soon…

The beginning of my journey did not start in Beijing. It started back home when I was working on my application to study abroad. Since the time I sent in my application, it has been an emotional rollercoaster. Don’t worry, this is one of those rollercoasters that you want to ride again and again. The beginning is the toughest and most unclear part of adventure stories. Why is it, you ask? In the beginning, I didn’t quite know what to expect the rest of the story to be like. I was anxious and confused. Doubts and fears about studying abroad constantly ran through my head.

Will I survive not seeing my family? Will my friends back in my home university forget about me? When I return home, will it still feel like home? Will I be able to make friends? What if I get too homesick? Am I really ready to do this by myself? Is this experience worth it? Did I make the right choice? Will this experience truly be as great as they say it is?

I think the reason why beginnings are so difficult is that we are either too lazy to start or too scared to fail. I try not to give up when the going gets tough. Whenever I am in a difficult situation, I always tell myself this:

“Beginning something is only half the battle. Only when you see the bright side is when you win the game of life.”

During my 13-hour flight from Chicago, I was not only feeling anxiety. I was also excited and I had butterflies in my stomach. My dreams of traveling and studying in China were finally coming true. I was thinking about seeing the Forbidden City and visiting the Great Wall. I imagined myself eating dumplings at a cute café on campus with my news friends and I tried to picture myself riding camels in the middle of the desert, sweating under the burning sun.

I realized that the questions I asked myself were only breaking me down, preventing me from discovering my full potential. My heart was testing me and I was overthinking the cons. But I was on the same emotional rollercoaster like everyone else. I realized that this buildup of emotions and anxiety was all normal.

Regardless of all the good things, I can’t help but feel alone and lost like everyone else. At the end of the day, I have myself and my thoughts. I think being lost is a good thing because I am given the opportunity to find myself (very cliché but totally relevant and very true). I put my heart at ease and thought about how my life will be changing for the better. One of my goals through studying abroad is to learn new things about the world and myself. I can’t accomplish my goals if I am afraid of the journey that is required to achieve them. When I entered Loyola, I was determined to do a semester abroad in Beijing my sophomore year and here I am. I wanted to take my own unique route and decided to take on the challenge.

In summary, don’t let your fears in the beginning take control of you. If you get scared away too early in the game, you will miss out on what probably will be the greatest adventure of your life. Just go with the flow and everything will be alright.

I hope you all find the courage to take on this challenge one day like I did. Be the person who says they want to travel and actually do it. This is only the beginning and I am so excited to share with you my experiences! Stay tuned for my adventures in detail real soon!

 

I was inspired by my best friend’s article that she wrote for the Odyssey. I don’t know where I would be without her words. She always gives me strength and always gives me support. Read her beautiful article [here].

There has been so much “Rome” talk these past couple of weeks! I am totally anxious to board my flight to Italy on Tuesday, and it seems impossible that it’s just two days away. After being accepted to study at the John Felice Rome Center last year, I remember thinking August 30^th was a lifetime away. Don’t get me wrong… though I am nervous for it to come, I’m definitely excited, too. The only idea I have of what to expect is the advice I’ve gotten from my mom, who recently visited Rome. She has given me her most meaningful tips, including taking an excess amount of black clothing and traveling as light as possible. And while packing has taken up most of my time this past week, I am more focused on arriving in Italia to start checking as many items off my bucket list as possible.

Here are 10 things I hope to do across the pond:

1. Befriend locals

Whether it’s in Rome, another Italian place, or a random city in Europe, I’d love to chat up people who actually live there. Talking to strangers is an everyday occurrence in Chicago, and I only hope to carry on the tradition abroad.

2. Visit Paris

I can’t really explain why this city is on my list, but ever since I have observed other students abroad visiting Paris, it has been making its way to the top of my list. Perhaps it is there because it contains the world’s largest art museum and monument, the Louvre. Something about it has always intrigued me.

3. Have a crazy 21^st birthday

When I tell people that my 21^st birthday will occur while I’m abroad, they seem sort of sad for me, since the drinking age in Rome is 18. Ha! You all just wait. I have something big planned.

4. Spend a day painting and drawing in a famous piazza

I am obsessed with arts and music!!! My love for the two happens to be a huge reason that I chose to study in the first place. Today, I purchased a couple of small drawing pads and watercolors to push me to sketch and paint while I’m there. Don’t worry; I’ll post pictures of my artwork, too!

5. Bring back at least one Italian tradition

Whether it’s an Italian dish or some Italian language, I can’t wait to share something foreign with friends and family once I return. I hope it ends up being food, to be honest!

6. Go to a concert

Rumor has it, the Chainsmokers will be performing in Milan during the month of October. For those of you who don’t listen to EDM, just know, they would be an AMAZING one to go to.

7. Fill up on wine, gelato, and espresso

I did mention I turn 21 in a month right? Also, who doesn’t love ice cream and coffee?

8. Visit the Vatican City

Well, you know I had to put something touristy on here? The Colosseum and Trevi Fountain are pretty much a given, but visiting the Vatican City is always something I’ve hoped to experience, as well! Besides, my grandma MJ would kill me if I didn’t at least try to see Papa Francisco.

9. Experience nightlife in more than one European city

I am a 20-year-old, after all. I absolutely have to experience the nightlife. Discoteca, anyone?

10. REALLY get to know Rome

This was a tip from the SLAs, to really get to know the neighborhood we live in as well as the rest of Rome. Even though I plan on traveling to much more than just Rome, I’ll definitely spend some quality time wandering around local shops and plazas.

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After reading this bucket list aloud to my parents, they seemed slightly worried that the next four months sounded like just a vacation. “You are taking classes, right, Molly?” To justify the “study” in “study abroad,” and to put my parents at ease, know that I will be taking some awesome classes, too! If you have any tips for traveling or any specific spots I absolutely have to visit while there, email me at mketterer@luc.edu.

I can’t wait to cross every one of these off my list, mostly so I can share this craziness with you all via blog. See you on the other side!

 

 

 

The two weeks spent exploring the more western parts of China was fun, but now it is time to get serious.
I am now officially a sophomore! Today was the first day of school and I had two classes. I started the day really early with an 8 a.m. Chinese class, which went pretty well. Although I was a bit nervous since my Chinese level is not were it is supposed to be, the teacher was extremely helpful and positive. Also, I am not a morning person, but the Wang Lao Shi knew how to keep her lessons interactive and entertaining. A couple of hours later, I had my second class: Introduction to Buddhism. Despite the fact that it was a three hour long class, I enjoyed it and learned a couple of new things actually.
I just finished the homework for today and cannot wait for my classes tomorrow!

Ni Hao! I am officially arrived in Ho Chi Minh City after spending six days in China.

China was amazing. Very crowded and very hot, but still amazing.

The first day (August 17), I arrived in Shanghai after my 15 hour flight, met up with Trenton (my friend from high school) and we caught an overnight train to Xi’an. We almost missed our train, and so my first experience of China was basically sprinting through the train station with my giant backpack. It was stressful, yet invigorating, and we made it onto the train with five minutes to spare. The sleeper train was its own experience. It was actually very nice, and I actually was able to sleep though I was in a cabin with three other non-english-speaking Chinese natives.

We arrived in Xi’an the following morning (August 18) and caught the metro to the center of Xi’an where our hostel was. From the moment we stepped off of the metro we were sweating. It was between 95 and 100 degrees fahrenheit the entire time that we were in China (except for up in the mountains). One of the most apparent culture shocks that I felt right away was just how crowded China is. It is very obvious that 18% (1.35 billion people) of the entire world population lives in that one country. I think it is because of this that the Chinese people have a total lack of spacial awareness also. When there are so many people in one place, the idea of personal space is almost at zero percent. This took some getting used to, but by the end of the trip, it was not as bothersome, and in a way, kind of endearing.

Our plan for our first night in Xi’an was to travel to Mount Huashan, and hike up overnight, so we did not plan on checking into our hostel right away. Though we were not sleeping there the first night, the hostel staff allowed us to leave our bags there, and also shower. This was greatly appreciated, if you are ever in Xi’an, I highly recommend the Han Tang Inn Hostel. After dropping our bags off, we picked up some dumplings (delicious) and took a bus to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. This has been a lifelong dream for me, and I was not disappointed. Although sweltering hot, the rooms of the warriors were huge. We learned that each warrior was actually designed to look like one of the emperor’s slaves, and after a specific warrior was finished, that slave would be killed. The slaves carved their initials into their personal warriors though, so that they could be remembered forever. Also, here’s a tip: view the three excavation rooms in opposite order. Rooms 2 and 3 are not finished being excavated yet, and look more like a few piles of dirt. If you see those before room 1, you are very likely to be underwhelmed.

After the warriors, we returned to Xi’an to prepare for our hike up Mount Huashan. We packed our bags at the hostel, and grabbed some delicious biang biang noodles from a nearby restaurant. Xi’an is known for these noodles. They are very large, almost like lasagna noodles. They’re also famous for it’s character because it uses 58 strokes.

After our noodles, we took a train and then a taxi to the Huashan scenic area. Another culture shock: taxi drivers, actually almost all drivers in China drive like madmen. This taxi ride in particular was one of the scarier ones I have ever taken. Something I noticed as the days in China went on though, was that since everybody drives like a crazy person, you almost feel safer, just because, although I witnessed “almost” accidents about 500 times a day, nobody actually ever hit anybody else. Anyways, I digress; we got to the entrance of the hike around 10:30pm, and began our upward climb. It was still extremely hot at this time, and I was sweating profusely before we even started hiking. I was blown away by the amount of people on the trail. Huashan is one of the top 3 famous mountains in China, but I was not prepared for how crowded the trail was. I guess, even in the mountains, one cannot escape the Chinese crowds. Another surprise was that for the entire time we were on the mountain, we were the only non-Chinese tourists that we saw. China is a big place, and throughout the entire trip, most of the tourists were actually Chinese.

The trail up Mt. Huashan was entirely paved, and yet it was still the most physically demanding hike that I have ever done, though one of the most rewarding hikes I have ever done. Everything that I had read online said that the climb would take between 3-5 hours. Being a pretty avid hiker, I assumed it would probably take Trenton and I 3 hours. I now realize that the 3-5 hour time estimate was the estimate only for the hike to the North Peak. Trenton and I ended up hiking 6 hours to the East peak where the Chess Pavilion is, so as to get the best view for sunrise. So basically we walked up thousands of stairs, some of them more like ladders, for six hours straight. My body was killing me by the time we got to the top at around 4:15am, where we waited for a little over an hour for sunrise.

It ended up being too cloudy for a good sunrise, but the view of the Chess Pavilion was dreamy. 

It ended up being a huge blessing that we spent the night on the mountain, because we were able to beat the lines for the famous plank walk. This part of the hike was basically the reason that I wanted to go to China, and it was everything that I had hoped. I will let the pictures do the talking for this one. 

We decided to catch the cable car back down the mountain because our knees were hurting just thinking about having to walk down all of those stairs again. By this time, the clouds had cleared though, and the view was incredible.

Upon our return to Xi’an, we showered and rested for a bit, and then decided to head out into Xi’an to do some sight seeing. We explored the famous Bell Tower, and were able to get a beautiful 360 degree view of the city from the top. From there, we headed to the Muslim quarter of Xi’an, famous for it’s lively marketplace. It was very interesting gaining insight into Chinese-Muslim culture. I enjoyed coconut milk and a fully fried squid on a stick, delicious! That night was my first night sleeping in an actual bed since my arrival in China, and I slept like a baby. The next morning, we woke up, picked up dumplings from our favorite dumpling shop, and then headed to the airport to catch our plane to Huangshan.

As soon as we arrived in Huangshan, we realized that we were DEEP in China. The owner of our hostel picked us up at the airport, the hour long drive to the hostel was entirely mountains and farm land. The food in Huangshan was very traditional also. We ordered a chicken dish that was basically every part of the chicken, cut up, and cooked in a delicious sauce. When I say “every part” of the chicken, I mean EVERY part of the chicken, feet and head, and beak included.

The next morning, the owner of our hostel drove us to the bus that we needed to catch into Huangshan scenic area. The night previously, we had decided that it would be more beneficial to catch the cable car up to the top of the mountain, so as to save our energy for actually hiking at the top, and for the hike down in the evening. Although we had to wait for an hour in line to catch the cable car, this turned out to be a very good idea, seeing as it was over 60,000 steps to the top. At the top, we were very disappointed by the initial view, as everything was completely covered in clouds. Other than seeing a couple of monkeys, we were extremely dismayed, and I became very frustrated as I had high hopes to see the famed “sea of clouds”.

We spent a few hours, getting super excited every time the clouds seemed like they might clear, until finally around 3pm we had our first real view cloud clearing. It was incredible. At this point, we decided that even if we didn’t get to see sunset, the whole trip up the mountain would be worth it.

We still had high hopes for sunset though, and so we continued to hike to the point where we wanted to watch it. When we got to this point, it had become cloudy again though, and we again, felt very frustrated. The only excitement was the large number of Chinese people who asked me on multiple occasions to take a photo with them. This was a popular occurrence throughout the entire trip for me, being a tall caucasian, I was a bit of a celebrity. I still wonder where all of those photos ended up.

Anyways, we waited at the top of the mountain for about another hour, and finally, around 5pm, we had the most amazing cloud clearance that I ever could have imagined. Honestly, I have seen a lot of beautiful mountains in my lifetime, and these were nothing like I had ever seen before. We were blessed with the sea of clouds, more beautiful than any of the google images that I had spent hours looking at during the weeks leading up to this trip. I still cannot believe that it was real. On top of that, we also had an incredible sunset. It was pretty much the most amazing day.

After sunset, we hiked down the mountain in the dark. It took us about 3 hours to walk down 5 miles worth of steep steps, and we felt like we were on some Indiana Jones type of adventure, deep in the heart of China. Finally, we reached the bottom, and caught the last bus back to Tangkou, where we happily showered and sank into our beds.

The next day, our plan was to take the bus to Hangzhou. We caught the noon bus, and made it to Hangzhou around 3pm, but to our dismay found that due to the G20 conference coming in September, many of the streets were shut down in an effort to lower the amount of driving on the roads to clear up some of the air pollution. Because of this, it was nearly impossible to get to our hostel by the West Lake, and after a few tries we decided that it would be much more worth it to just go straight to Shanghai. We quickly booked a hostel and a couple of train tickets, and hopped on the next high speed train. This ended up working in our favor as it gave us a full day the next day to explore Shanghai. We were able to spend a couple of hours at the Bund, and walking around the market and eating dim sum where in the area of the city where the houses from the 1930’s are still standing. Pro tip: instead of booking an expensive river tour on the Bund, for 2 yuan, you can just take the ferry across the river, and see the same sights. Also, even though the Shanghai museum closes at 5, they stop allowing visitors to enter at 4, something we discovered six minutes too late.

Shanghai architecture is amazing. There is a mix of old and new that is extravagantly more apparent than the same mix that Chicago architecture is famous for, mainly I think because the newer architecture is almost space-like in its modernity.

Overall, China was incredible, and I hope to go back soon to explore more. I caught my flight to Vietnam on time, and have now been here for almost a week. A post will be coming soon! Thank you for reading this extra long one!