Our last outing in China, Zhangjiajie

On Friday before school started on Monday, we went to Zhangjiajie, a city about two hours from Changde. We rode the morning bus over and arrived in time for lunch. We had a very yummy lunch after talking to many restaurant owners about the price. It was a bit funny because they kept one-upping each other on the price! After lunch we headed off to see the caves, the main reason that we went to Zhangjiajie. We had a great time in the caves! I had never been in a cave like that and it was so cool! We had a bit of trouble finding where we were supposed to be but after trekking up and down the exit hall an extra time we found the right way! We went through some small parts of the cave and then a larger one. To get to the main cave, we had to get on a boat and go down the underground river. I thought it was pretty cool to be on a river UNDER the ground! We spent a good bit of time in the main cave. There was a slight overhang and we enjoyed singing together and listening to the wonderful echo. We were getting tired by now and we wanted to catch the 5:00PM bus back to Changde. By the time we got out of the cave and found someone to take us back to the city (the caves were outside the city a bit) it was to late to catch the bus. So we decided to take the train instead of having to stay the night for the bus then next day. We stood in line for a long time and finally got our tickets. We were not able to get very good tickets. We had one seat and two standing only tickets. We bought two cheap plastic stools and some food and ran off to catch the train. Leah and I started out with the standing thickets. The way standing tickets work is you get on the car and stand (or sit if you brought a stool and IF there is room to put the stool down) for the duration of the trip. And yes, some people will do this for a 18 hr ride! This does not seem like a horrid idea until you realize that there are about 75 other people on the car that are doing the same thing! The car we were in was packed! The car said "occupation 116 " and I think there were somewhere around 250 people in the car! Needless to say we were packed in like sardines! I was able to find a hole in the aisle and sit on my stool. I could not stretch out my legs and I was packed up against 2-3 chinese people at any given time. Now, the ride would be slightly passable but...every 5-10 min someone decided to move past going to another car or the restroom. AND...to top that off, every 30 min the food cart came by! So, if you were standing/sitting in the aisle, you had to get out of the way by practically standing on top of everyone else who is standing packed against the people that have seats! This went on for the duration of the trip and by the end I wanted my own space and for NO ONE to touch me again for a LONG time! Leah, a few min after we had started off, went and traded with Wade and he came down and sat/stood with me. We were supposed to arrive at 9:00PM or so but it was 10:40PM when we finally arrived. Wade and fought the crowd and he got off ok. I had a bit more trouble getting off and I could hear Wade telling the train workers that I was still on there! I had to just shove my way through the sea of people and I finally was able to get off! We did not see Leah, so Wade took off to car 16 (we were in car 8) to make sure that she got off. But she did not! This began an even more interesting end to our day. Leah did not have her phone or any money and she had the phrase book so we all felt a bit (of more than a bit) stranded. We tried to tell the train workers that Leah we still on the train and I think they maybe understood. We went to the VIP lounge and there we finally found someone who spoke English. We were able to tell them what had happened and they got in touch with the train and started getting Leah's return arranged. To make a very long story a little shorter, Wade and I waited in the lounge and kept in contact with Leah (she borrowed a phone) and the train officials. She was going to get off at the next station (an hour and a half away) and catch the next train back to Changde. She missed the first train back so she had to wait till the next one left at 1:15AM (or there abouts) Leah finally arrived in Changde at 2:45AM! We were all so tired and ready to go home! We got home, took showers (they smoke like smokestacks on the train), and went to bed! I don't think we stirred till about noon that morning (er...afternoon)!

We spent the rest of Sat and Sunday doing little. Wade and Leah spent Monday getting ready to teach on Tuesday and Wednesday. I hung around the house and did some cooking for them so they could study. Then on Tuesday I went to class with Leah in the morning. It was really neat to see her teaching. She is teaching American Culture this semester. I enjoyed getting to meet her students and talk with them a bit. We met Wade for lunch and then I stayed in for the afternoon and got all packed up. I was a bit sad to be packing but at the same time I was ready to head home! Dinner was noodles at a Muslim Noodle place. It was so good! We went to English corner that night and that was a lot of fun! English corner is where the English teachers (foreign that is) gather with any students that want and practice speaking English. Tuesday was much the same only this time I went with Wade. He is teaching Oral English. His class was different then Leah's. He has more activities and so class can be a bit more wild at times. We had English corner again that afternoon and spent the evening relaxing together. Thursday was my last day in China. We had a game night with an American couple that Wade and Leah hang out with sometimes. We had fun but did not stay very late. I had to be on the 10:00AM bus to Changsha to catch my flight.

My trip home was good once I got through Shanghai. The flight from Changsha to Shanghai was late and I had one hour to get off the plane, get my luggage, transfer to international check in, get checked in, through customs and security and to my gate before I missed the flight! I ran the whole time and part of it dragging two huge suitcases! I made it but I did not think I was going to! The flight was a bit delayed and so I was able to rest a few min and catch my breath before I got on the plane. I was ever so happy to be on that plane! The remainder of my trip went well. I didn't sleep much on the way home so I was really tired when I got into Tulsa. But, by body time it was in the middle of the day and not the night so I felt ok.

This is the end of my China adventures! I am so thankful that I was able to make this trip! I had a great time with Wade and Leah and a wonderful time traveling (even with the train trip that went bad) and seeing some amazing sights! I will remember this trip for years to come and I am so thankful that I was able to take it. I'm sure I could go on for a few more pages about my adventures but I'll bring it to a close now. I'll see you again soon! =)