It ain't over until it's over...

Hi everyone!

What a crazy 2 weeks it's been. I don't even know where to begin. I suppose the biggest news in my life at the moment is that I just got back from Beijing, China last night! It was incredible. I feel so lucky to have now travelled to what are considered in this part of the world, as 'The Big 3'- Korea, Japan, and China. I love that now I can compare all three cultures and their people and how they live. A truly interesting experience.

I will talk about my experiences in China later in this post, but for now I'd just like to express my disappointment that there's only 3 weeks left until I finish my studies here in Korea. :( However, you will have seen the title of my post, "It ain't over until it's over'...and this is very true. I finish my classes here officially on the 12th December, and on the 15th I'm flying to Hong Kong to meet my family who are flying from Qatar. We'll spend 5 days there, before heading to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand on the 20th to spend Christmas there until the 31st. We'll fly back to HK for New Years Eve (Hogmany) and then on the 1st I'll return to Seoul to collect my luggage, to then fly to Doha, Qatar on the 3rd January. It doesn't end there...I'll be flying to Dubai on the 9th January to meet my Spanish (Catalonian) friend Christian who is also studying here at Hanyang University. We'll stay in Dubai until the 12th, then we'll fly back to Doha for a week before he returns back to Barcelona. And finally, I'll be returning home to Aberdeen (which doesn't sound SO exotic) on the 22nd January, ready to start my work placement (hopefully) on the 30th. It sounds absolutely exhausting, but I honestly can't wait. I can't believe how lucky I've been. PS- Another perk of studying abroad in Asia is that travel is relatively cheap (hint hint wink wink, RGU students!!!) Not that I'm bias or anything, but I really will be promoting Korea or anywhere outside Europe for a study abroad. The experience has been amazing and it has really taken me out of my comfort zone and opened my eyes up to the world. Get signed up!!

On the 5th November, I went to the Seoul Lantern Festival which is held along the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Downtown Seoul. It was a change to the usual firework display I would usually go and see at Aberdeen Beach on Bonfire Night, and almost felt more like Christmas! It was really impressive.

Seoul Lantern Festival

Seoul Lantern Festival

Seoul Lantern Festival

If you read my last post, I spoke of the stressful time I had in applying for a Chinese Visa. It would have cost me 35,000 KRW (£20) to apply for a Chinese visa from the Chinese consulate. However, due to new rules, foreigners applying for a visa from within Korea have to have at least 6 months valid on their Alien Registration Cards. Mine is only valid until March, and I wouldn't have been able to extend it as that would mean extending my visa in Korea, which I have no reason to do as my studies will be over. However, I found a loop-hole in that if you apply for a visa through your university travel agency, the Chinese Consulate seem to be a bit more willing to give you a visa. I paid 60,000 KRW (£35) for my visa and included a certificate of enrolment at my university in Korea to support my application. I received my Chinese Visa less than a week later. Happy days!! I thought paying a little bit more was worth it for a life changing experience. I felt bad for my American friend, Rebecca though, who had to pay 200,000 KRW (£120) for her visa, just because she's American. US citizens are the only ones who have to pay more. Sounds like relations between the US and China aren't improving any time soon!!

So, what does one find in their wallet after a long weekend in Beijing?

• Beijing Municipal Administration & Communication Card (Subway T-money card)
• Sunrise Hostel address in Chinese (in case we get lost and need help)
• "I have a nut allergy" written on a piece of paper in Chinese 
• Great Wall of China admission ticket
• Forbidden City admission ticket
• Beijing Zoo admission ticket
• Summer Palace admission ticket
• Temple of Heaven admission ticket

This is just a taster of what I got up to at the weekend. (Not everything required a ticket!) I'm hoping to make some sort of admission ticket/picture collage when I get home to frame and put up in my flat to remind me of my study abroad experience.

Day 1.

We left for Beijing on the morning of the 14th November from Gimpo International Airport. It's a 2 hour flight to Beijing, and we arrived there at 1:30pm local time. Our flying experience with China Southern Airlines was thankfully good! Once we got to the hostel, it was around 4pm, so we only had enough time to take a walk around the area before it got dark. We were a 10 minute walk from the Forbidden City and Tiananamen Square. We walked around the entirety of the Forbidden City (it's huge) and then stopped to take pictures at the Tiananmen Gate, which is to the North of the square, which has the iconic portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong hanging above the entrance. (A man who despite dying in 1976, still is very much respected and remembered in Chinese society.)

Tiananmen Gate

Tiananmen Gate

Day 2. 

On the morning of the second day we were served an American breakfast by our hostel as we signed up for a Great Wall Tour which cost £25 which included breakfast, lunch, transport and free entry to the wall. (good deal!) There were around 50 passengers on the coach all picked up from surrounding hostels in Beijing. We went to the Mutianyu part of the wall which is said to have less tourists than such parts as Badaling. The bus journey was an hour and a half and it was interesting to see outside of Beijing and into the real rural areas of China. Hilariously, the first thing we were faced with upon arriving at the car park of the Wall was a Subway, Baskin Robbins and Pizzeria- Welcome to China!!
We were given the option to either take a cable car to the wall or take the 25 minute hike up the steps to the wall. I opted for the hike. I didn't come to the Great Wall to take the easy route! Once we got to the wall, it was spectacular. I couldn't believe that I was standing on one of the Wonders of the World. A wall so famous in history and movies, and the fact that it can be seen from Space! We were given 3 hours to roam the wall at our own leisure. There weren't that many tourists apart from Chinese school children, so essentially we got the wall to ourselves in parts which made our picture taking so much better. I'll let my pictures do the talking now to give it justice. Absolutely breathtaking...

Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

Stairs to the wall

Wall to myself!

Great Wall of China

 After the wall, we met up with a Chinese girl (Megan) who was friends with one of the girls in our group (Mariana). They had met whilst Megan was on her study abroad in the Netherlands, and they had kept in contact. She took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant, and it was amazing. Very different to the 'Chinese' food we get in the UK. It was delicious!

Day 3.

By day 3, the early mornings were starting to hit us a bit. Our legs were also starting to complain. We did a lot of walking over the long weekend and really had no time to lose. We were there for a short time and we planned to get it all done.
We went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square that morning. The Forbidden City was so big. It's where the Emperor, his many wives and family would live. There were so many different buildings, to such a high standard and design. I really wondered how in ancient times they were capable of building such structures as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Around this area there is a real feel of the Communism that is lingering in the country. There are police and soldiers everywhere, and everyone's bag has to get searched before you enter certain areas etc. There is a lot of red lets say, which is symbolic! There's a definite feeling of control in China. I don't think police are necessarily there to protect us, but instead to keep an eye on people to make sure they are conforming to the status-quo of what is acceptable in Chinese society.

Tourist

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

You'll find these soldiers in two's on every almost street corner in the surrounding area

After the Forbidden City (all tourist admissions in China are dirt cheap- the country as a whole is cheap. To get into pounds I just have to divide by 10) we went across the road to Tiananmen Square. The only way to enter the square is through numerous underpasses like subway stations where you go inside and have to get all your bags searched and also sometimes patted down by security officials. I'm not sure if it was always like that or if they were just on high alert due to the terrorist attack that happened there only just a few weeks ago. Tiananmen Square was everything I expected. I had learnt so much about it in my history classes (why I was so excited about visiting China!) One would just think that it's a boring square. But it really symbolises the power of Communism in China. It's the largest public square in the entire world and can hold in excess of 1 million people. All the main Communism speeches etc were held here and it also has the unforgettable past of of the student massacres of the 1980s. Of course this information is blocked in China, along with Facebook, Twitter and Google...unless you have a VPN! The square was just a big flat slab of concrete. Red flags with Chinese flags flew everywhere around it and there were two large screens at the top which showed picturesque scenes of China (Propaganda.)

View towards the Forbidden City from the square

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square

Red alert!

After the square we managed to go to Beijing Zoo to see some Pandas!

I love bamboo!!

Day 4,

Sunday was probably the busiest day for us. We went to see Mao Zedong's preserved body which is in his resting place to the South of Tiananmen Square. It was a very solemn experience and one that I didn't think would affect me so much. It's free admission and hundreds upon hundreds of Chinese people line up with flowers to see their beloved former leader. A lot of old people were visibly emotional upon entering the room where he lays in state. Before entering the building you have to go through yet more security and no cameras are allowed inside whatsoever. However, smart phones are? We had to go inside in twos so we could all get the experience. One of us would have to stand outside with everyone's cameras. Upon entering the building you are faced with a giant statue of Mao sitting relaxed in an arm chair, looking incredibly friendly and happy. Apparently it's meant to symbolise how kind he was in comparison to the statue of Abraham Lincoln that is in Washington DC. The room where he lays, the lights are dimmed and he lies behind glass in a glass coffin draped in the Communist flag. He almost looked waxy with the way the light was shining on his face. A weird experience, but interesting. Of course once you exit this solemn space you are faced with souvenir stalls selling Mao memorabilia. Plates, portraits, watches- you name it! (No pictures for this section for obvious reasons- I didn't fancy going undercover to be placed in a jail!)

After Mao, we went to the Summer Palace which was a retreat for the Emperors. It was spectacular, but very cold. You'll see from most of my pictures that they all look bright, blue skied and sunny. This is true, but it was still bitterly cold. We got lucky however as the cold wind blew away the air pollution which Beijing is infamous for!

Summer Palace

We then went to the 2008, Beijing Olmpics Park. It was great to see. Especially a place where so many records were broken. It's the place where Bolt became the fastest man on the planet. Very impressive.

Birds Nest Stadium

That night we braved the cold and went to the Wangfujing Street Market which sold a whole manner of different Chinese Cuisines- mostly strange! (Pictures below.) Let's just say the food here is a little different to the Chinese food I usually get from the Happy Uncle in Cults in Aberdeen!!

Pigeon kebab

Centipede kebab

Snake kebab

Spider kebab- "Make you strong!!"

Day 5.

The final day came around quicker than we had wanted. We still felt there was still a lot more to see in Beijing and surrounding areas. At the same time though, it was a relief that we'd be going home to rest our legs from all the walking we'd put them through! (Old man!)
Our flight back to Seoul was at 7:30pm, so we still had most of the day to do what we wanted. I went to the Temple of Heaven, which was pretty much the last remaining sight on my list that I'd made before going to China, that I wanted to see. I then went and did some Souvinir and Christmas shopping. The bartering here is insane. I had many a fall out with shopkeepers because they just assumed I was a gullable western tourist. They didn't realise that I'd grown up in the Middle East where bartering is a skill learnt from a young age!

Temple of Heaven

We arrived back into Seoul on Monday night at around 10:30pm local time, and got back to our dorms at midnight. It was a great trip and it was so interesting feeling like I was at home when I arrived back in Korea. I've really embraced this experience and made Seoul my home. I can now determine Koreans from Chinese and Japanese people and vice versa and I've also found out some interesting mannerisms between the three nationalities. In my opinion, Koreans are much more image concious and are into fashion and making themselves look good. Whereas in China, the people were less 'well groomed'. Arriving back into Seoul was refreshing too as the place is so modern, sterile and clean. I would say that Beijing won on historical tourist sights, but Seoul wins hands down on image.

That concludes a rather long post (apologies), but as always thank you for reading, following and sharing! :) I am looking forward to the next few weeks to see what they have in store for me.

If anyone has any questions regarding my travels/studies, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Ben :)