Journey Through China Summer 2017 Nathan Greenlee
Immediately when we arrived in Chengdu, we began exploring the city. We stayed there overnight in a hotel and went to an amusement park called Happy Valley the next day.
The next day, Ray’s parents picked us up and after a ton of driving and we finally arrived in a small village called Taoping Qiang that dates back to over 2,000 years ago!
After staying in a hotel in Miyalou, we drove to Hongyuan and visited the infamous Moon River. We also got the opportunity to ride horses in the countryside! After some driving, we stayed the night in Langmou Temple.
We were given a personal tour of luxurious Langmou Temple. A lot of the locals around there knew English really well, so they were nice enough to translate everything in more detail for me! That night, we stayed in a village in the mountains called Zhaganai where we participated in their ancient dancing rituals.
The next day consisted of lots of driving! Along the way, we experienced a Buddhist rain dance, 20 piglets crossing the road near a river, and a beautiful lavender field. We stayed the night in Jiuzaigou.
We toured the beautiful ponds and waterfalls of Jiuzaigou. We then spent the night in Huanglong.
The next day was spent visiting the bodies of water in Huanglong. We traversed about 3 miles just to get to the top of the exhibit!
Both Huanglong and Jiuzaigou were extremely beautiful and their pictures will forever be cherished. After Huanglong, we drove seven hours to finally arrive in Leshan!
My host family’s apartment is on the 6th floor with an additional 7th floor on the roof with an outdoor garden.
Ray and I joined up with Lauren and Shasha (Lauren’s host sister) to experience Kung Fu, Leshan’s Giant Buddha, a book ceremony in a public library, and karaoke at night! 1!
The next day, we visited Ray’s school. Compared to my high school, his seemed huge! They had about three eight-story buildings just for living spaces, five or so tall buildings each designed for certain subjects, and much more. I also discovered my favorite drink in China--an iced sweet black tea.
Later that same day, we traveled to Ray’s grandparent’s house in the countryside in Qianwei. They owned a pond which we were able to fish out of and a huge garden with delicious fruits and vegetables. After that, we walked around an ancient town Luocheng which is formatted in the shape of a boat.
The next day, Ray and I met up with his English teacher in a mall. We enjoyed Starbucks, Korean Barbeque and virtual reality video games!
The next day, we woke up bright and early to see pandas!!!!
Later that day, we climbed to the top of Mount Emei, a mountain famous for its Buddhist influences. On the way to the peak, we encountered curious monkeys, thousands of stairs, and a beautiful Buddhist temple and golden statue.
On the second to last day in China, we walked through town to appreciate the many, many shops and open markets and went swimming in a freshwater pool at night with Ray’s aunt, uncle, cousin, and of course, mom and dad.
The very last day was spent enjoying each other's’ company for the last time, making delicious dumplings (yes, I made some of those!), and eating a luxurious fish dinner on a boat on of Leshan’s many rivers.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in China. Ray and his family were always very kind and welcoming and I became attached to all of them the moment I met them. They helped make my two weeks in China truly an experience of a lifetime. We all formed such a great bond and I formed many best friends that I will remain in contact for a very long time. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity!!
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