G-Train

Awesome G-Train! One of the fastest types of trains in the world. It was so nice and new.

Xi'an City Wall

In ancient China cities were walled for protection. Today in Xi'an the city wall is reconstructed and you can rent bicycles to ride around the length of the the wall. Of couse, April and I choose the tandem bike! Fun!

Palm Reading and Luck

In this picture Gabby is getting her palm read. I liked this guy, he said I would have good luck because of my good looks! :o) The Chinese are really into luck. Good thing Fanny (a student from Henan University) was there to translate for us! April wasn't a fan of what he had to say...he told her she has big ears, but no one is perfect. Very memorable and funny.

Workout Parks

Here is an example of what I call a "Workout Park". These parks were scattered all throughout China, this particular one is in Beijing. It was purely amazing to see 40-50 year old women doing hundreds of chin-ups and swinging around on bars like they were 20 year-old olympic gymnasts. It was so nice to see such a large amount of people value physical wellness. Come on America, step your game up! Lets get one of these outside "gyms" on Akron's campus!

Soft Sleeper

Here I am in my first "soft sleeper" experience on a night train from Shanghei to Kaifeng. It was so exciting and this is definitely the moment that bonded us, when, shortly after this picture was taken, there were about nine or ten of us all crammed in this 6' x 8' cabin.

Pictures with Westerners

When I came back to America I was confused as to why no one was stopping me on the streets to take pictures with/of me.

But seriously, everywhere we traveled people would stop you to take a picture of the "foreigners". They are infatuated with Western culture.

As you can see in this picture, a family stopped us to take a picture with their Grandmother.

Gardens of Old Shanghai City

The gardens in Old Shanghai City were so nice and relaxing. It was our first day out and about in China and sitting by the waterfalls and taking it all in was an amazing start to our journey. I couldn't believe I was really half way around the world.

(This was also the day that it took April and I an hour to try and order lunch.)

Train Station

Here we are getting prepared to conquer another train station, everytime we

Train Stations

Getting ready to conquer another train station in Xi'an. Everytime we made it through one it was almost as exciting as making it to the top of the Great Wall. There are so many people, and so much chaos, but it was always exciting to board the train and head off to out next place of adventure.

Chinese Food

I could go on for days about all of the delicious things we ate while on our three week adventure. We were served full course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it was rare to come across the same thing twice. All of the produce was so fresh and delicious. As you can see in this picture the chopsticks were a bit of a challege, especially when it came to slippery items, such as noodles and tofu, or "dofu" in China. Of course pork is the most popluar meat in China, but we were also served many dishes that included fish and chicken as well. We all loved the broccoli with garlic sauce, it would be gone as soon as it hit the "lazy susan". That is how mostly all of our meals were presented to us, on a large spinning disc that usually the highest authority in the table was incharge of turning. It was great, I miss the food so much!

Parasols

After a long day of exploring in downtown Shanghai, one of our group members, Shannon, followed the Chinese trend of carrying a parasol to protect their skin from the sun and keep cool.

The Yellow River

After crossing The Yellow River (Huang He River) we decided to represent The University of Akron by writing AKRON in the sand.

It is said that after climbing The Great Wall, crossing the Yellow River, and climbing the Iron Pagoda, you are a real Chinese man....so I guess I am a Chinese Man? :o)