So Jake was planning on blogging during his trip to China, but apparently it's ridiculous trying to get online over there, so you're stuck with a second hand account. Sorry. :)
Things are going well for him, and he's having a blast. Most of the time as of yet has been spent traveling, with layover after layover it took him a good while to fly to Beijing. They had to fly into Seoul, Korea first and the breakfast options on the plane were octopus and rice, or an omlet. His opinion was that octopus was more of a lunch item, so he opted for the omlet. Mind you, this is coming from a guy who sent his mom a picture of him eating a tomato on his mission. But we won't go into how sensitive Jake's palate is. :) I told him I'd be interested to see what exotic foods he'll be willing to try while he's there. Duck is so far the most "out there" food he's tried while there, but that's pretty good for him.
Their group has gone to the market a couple of times, and the first time was a learning experience. The little ladies that barter with you are apparently anxious to give you back change. Well, Jake luckily had smaller bills and didn't need change, but a couple guys in their group didn't realize until they were back at their hotel that they were given Russian currency, which is worth less than Yen (is that how you spell it?). So they learned their lesson there.
And for those who know Jake well know that he likes to argue just for the sake of arguing sometimes, so he gets a kick out of bartering. He thought it entertaining that one of the little old ladies called him a cheapskate, and then proceeded to yell something at him in Chinese after he walked away from a good deal. He thought that was pretty funny.
Just a few of the places he's been already... (pictures courtesy of the internet:) ) The Forbidden City, which is kind of what my sheltered little "never left the country" mind thinks of when I think of China. He's also been to The Great Wall. You d
on't hear that every day. "Hey, I went to the Great Wall today." That's hard to top! It made my report of doing the dishes and getting some yard work done seem a little less than exciting. :) He said it's so much cooler than any picture he's seen. "It was just awesome." was all he could say. I'm wondering how much hiking he did that day! Wowsers!When I talked to him this morning they were on their way to three gorges dam, which looks pretty amazing, especially to a civil engineer. I'll definitely post more about that when I talk to him next. Stay tuned for more!
