Trains and Temples

(Veronica Moy - teacher at Dover-Sherborn Middle School)

Picking up where Deanna left off, we waited as patiently as possible for our train to board. This proved to be difficult since each new and exciting day has been so physically and mentally demanding - which is good, as it challenges us to reach beyond our comfort zone and learn about the culture we are immersed in. By 10p, we were all desperately looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

News from Kunming

[Ed. note - other posts arrived later than Randy posted this first one, but it appears here to preserve the sense of itinerary] 

(Randy Hoover - 2004 D-S China Exchange teacher currently on leave, living in Kunming)  

Hi all,

The group hasn’t been able to get internet access long enough to upload their blog posts yet, so I’m sending this quick update and a few photos from Kunming, where I just had the pleasure of spending a few hours with them before they had to catch their overnight sleeper train to Dali. Everyone is in good humor and enjoying their adventure!

Valentine's Day in Guilin

(Deanna Biddy - senior at Dover-Sherborn High School)

Hello all!

Today is Valentine’s Day and we all rose early from our beds at 06:45 to encounter an early breakfast accompanied with much food. Our food spanned from vanilla yogurt with Rice Krispies, Croissants to Fried Eggs with Sausage, generally the meals kept coming and we tried to aim to finish one whole plate but to no avail. Afterwards, we went back to our rooms to quickly pack our belongings to get into the van to go see Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave.

Yangshuo Impressions

(Brandon Wu - senior at Dover-Sherborn High School)

Hey ya'll,

This is our second day in Yangshuo. We had much of the day off today to relax and explore. Mike and I went for an early breakfast and then for a walk through a nearby park. It was fascinating to see all of the activities that people were doing. We saw people doing tai-chi, a lady practicing with a sword (or what appeared to be), many kids running around under the watchful eye of their parents, and groups of men sitting around stone tables playing checkers or cards.

Day 1 in Yangshuo

(Patty Williamson - senior at Dover-Sherborn High School)

Hi everyone!

After finally getting to our Guilin hotel at 130AM, it was quite difficult for the 5 of us to be excited about a 630 wake up call, but after an early breakfast in the hotel (an interesting western-eastern fusion--I'd recommend the watermelon juice) and some encouragement for, our guide, Lily, we got in the van and headed for Fubo hill. Let me tell you, this is the biggest hill, ever. Lily was in much better shape than the rest of us, and seemingly much less afraid of falling up or down the 325 steep steps to the top, so she made her way around the hill insanely quickly. From the top, we could see most of the city of Guilin, and the hundreds of peaks along the Li river which makes Guilin so famous.

Ants and Gods

(Michael Vaughan - senior at Dover-Sherborn High School)

The most empowering and humbling experiences of my life thus far happened simultaneously on our thirteen hour fight from Toronto to Beijing over Siberia. I was absent mindedly looking out of our plane window when the sun rose to me for the second time today and the land we were flying over crept into view through the dissolving canvas of the cloud layer.