北京 Běijīng Beijing

Last weekend was a special 3-day weekend in China for a holiday called Tomb Sweeping. This is a holiday to commemorate this time of year when families visit the tombs of their loved ones and sweep them and pay their respects. Such a sweet concept.

I decided to leave Wuxi for the weekend and travel to Beijing. And it was an adventure! I left Saturday morning and arrived in Beijing around 4:00 pm - and then proceeded to get lost while trying to find my hostel. Beijing is a combination of main streets and then little alley ways called hutongs. Hutongs are not like creepy alleys in the USA. They have shops and hostels all over the place, and my hostel was located on a random hutong that I would have never thought to walk down. After realizing I was completely lost, I started asking strangers if they spoke English and found some people who helped me. Then I got lost again. Eventually, I went into a big, fancy hotel and the people at the front desk knew English and helped me really find my way. Miracle #1! I made it to the hostel. 

Once I got to the hostel, I was told I couldn't stay because I hadn't brought my passport with me. WHAT!!! Who needs their passport to stay the night in a hostel? News to me, and I will never forget again. I was almost in tears and had no idea what I would do for the night! You see, my passport wasn't even at home in my apartment, it was in the international office at the university. That was actually a blessing because I knew that my boss Shirley had access to that office. I called her, and an hour and a half later - she sent a copy of my passport to the hostel, which they accepted. That was miracle #2. Overall, I had a wonderful trip and am grateful I was kept safe. 

My hostel was a 10 minute walk from Tiananmen Square, so I went there a couple of times. I also went to the Beijing Olympic Park Nest, and spent a day at the Great Wall of China!!! That was one of my resolutions for the New Year. Check! On the Great Wall tour, I made some great friends who were visiting or working in China, and they were from Mexico, Brazil and Israel. 

China is so beautiful. I was so grateful the weather was perfect for the trip! Back in Wuxi it rained all weekend, but in Beijing there were clear skies, no pollution and sunshine the whole weekend! That was miracle #3.

Hostel

Olympic Nest