This picture was taken in Qongching which was an incredible city. One of my favorite cities by far. We were able to have a free day where we got to explore this city. Our hotel was on a cliff of some sorts that overlooked the city. When you would go down the cliff, there were many different restaurants including a Mexican, Irish, and Japanese restaurant. We ate at the Mexican Restaurant and we were able to try our first Mexican food in China and it was pretty good. When we further adventured down the cliff we found that if you kept going right there were many different abandoned cruise ships. We also found an overlook going out over the water which gave you a view of the city that few get to experience. We got to eat the hot pot which is the famous Qongching meal which consists of eating very spicy good, but it was spectacular.

Another part of the trip to Qongching was crossing off a part of my bucket list. I got to see a panda for the first time. These furry creatures were a lot bigger than I expected, and they eat so much bamboo. I thought they were cuddly creatures, but I learned that they can be quite vicious. The zoo was one of my favorite parts of the trip because we got to see animals that I have not been able to see in my lifetime like the pandas. There were numerous cats like the very rare white tiger. The white tiger they had was one of ninety still left in the world, and you could see this animal watching you the whole time. After the zoo, we went to the Three Gorges Dam museum where we got a IMAX like view of the yangtze river and a virtual tour. We then learned about the different wildlife located in the river including some weird looking fish. We finally learned how big each gorge was and the route that we took to get there.

We then took a hard sleeping car through the day to Xinli’s hometown of Huangshan. This train was an interesting experience to say the least with 6 people to a room and 2 triple bunk beds in each room. There was many random people in our car which made it more interesting. When we visited Huangshan we first went to the man made caves made by the government to attract tourists. The water was so clear there and the bottom made it seem a lot shallower than it actually was. We had to cross a very shady suspension bridge to get there which made it that much more interesting. On the way back we got to experience multiple interesting excursions. One involved riding a horse around a track. I saw a horse poop for the first time and I really hope that it is the last time. We also got to ride ATV’s where the people running it were not to pleased with the speed we were going and how we were driving. All of this costed no more than ten yuan which is a great deal in my opinion.

Another aspect of the trip which was a once in a lifetime experience was visiting Xinli’s home village, and seeing what true rural life in China really is like. We got to go into Xinli’s childhood home and meet his mother. The house was very interesting and tight. There was a hole in the ceiling so that rain can get into the house and go down the drain into the well. I have never seen something like this before so it was very cool to see. We then got a tour of his hometown, and saw the monuments in his town like the fine woodwork on each of the houses. We also got to see the elementary school in his town which made me feel very lucky about the school I went to, but at least they are getting an education. After, we were served an incredible dinner that included this very good ham and some other classic chinese meals. To conclude the night, we set off fireworks and watched them light up the town. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

On one of our final days in China we Visited Shanghai Disney. There is one park similar to that of magic Kingdom in Orlando. The park is very new and was only built two years ago. Overall, the park was a lot more westernized than I thought it would be. Most of the food in the park is american food like hamburgers, pizza, and popcorn. Also, all of the names to the individual parks have big letters in english with small chinese characters underneath. In the picture is the Disney Castle similar to that of the one in Orlando, but smaller. At the end of the night we were supposed to watch a firework show, but because of the bad pollution around Shanghai the fireworks were not allowed. Disney in Shanghai was one of my favorite days on the trip and a great way to end our unforgettable study abroad experience.