Chinese New Year

With a two week holiday to welcome the Year of the Horse, BF and I decided to take a trip to Suzhou - dubbed the "Venice of China".

Suzhou is known for it's canals through old neighborhoods and exquisite gardens.  We enjoyed the gorgeous architecture and scenery, but agreed the best time to visit would definitely be in the spring when the gardens were in full bloom.

Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou

snacks, Suzhou

After a few days in Suzhou, we took the bullet train up north.  BF went home to spend the actual holiday with his family, and I went to play tourist in Beijing.  I had been to Beijing a few times before, but always on a mission - never to see the sites.  The first day I was there (CNY's - eve) the sky was bright blue, the sun was shining, and there were not many people out.  Anyone who has ever been to Beijing knows that blue sky, sunshine, and no crowds is a very rare dream come true.

Forbidden City, Beijing

Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Lama Temple, Beijing

Chinese New Year 2013

Well folks, the contract is signed and it's official - in late July I will move south to Guangzhou, China for another few years of teaching 5th grade.  I am really excited to be moving to the warm, international (Asia) travel hub and to gain experience at a much larger school than I'm used to.  Located on the Tropic of Cancer, this ancient capital of China (formally known as Canton) is home to 11 million people and only 2 hours away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.  Olleh!

On a different note, Asia just rang in the year of the snake and I decided to take a short trip to Shanghai for the celebrations.  The sites and sounds were fantastic - I did manage to take a couple of crappy videos with the iPhone.  They are really poor quality, but you can kind of get the gist of the atmosphere.

                                                               Dragon dance

resting dragon, Nanjing Lu

The last day of the new year festival - non-stop fireworks

Chinese New Year

Pardon the blur:  Fireworks exploding outside
my 3rd story apartment

Chinese New Year- the most important holiday in China.  This special occasion creates the biggest human migration in the world as everyone heads home to spend the festival with their families.  There are days upon days of non-stop fireworks, dumpling making and eating, and cleaning the house from top to bottom for a fresh start to the new year.  This is the year of the dragon which is a cultural favorite, but this year is extra special because it is a water dragon...one that comes around once every 60 years.  It is projected that the population will grow significantly this year as parents have strategically planned to have their babies born under the water dragon sign.

With a week off school I wanted to go somewhere new and exciting.  I had been warned not to travel within China because of said mass migration, but I waited too long to buy tickets elsewhere - China was my only choice.  Even though the hot beaches of Vietnam were still calling out to me, I booked my flight north to Harbin for their annual Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

Harbin, China: Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival at dusk

Luckily, two of my co-workers joined me on the sub-arctic adventure so I wouldn't be braving the elements on my own.  It was about -20 degrees (probably nothing to my Canadian friends, but super extreme to this Texan!)  We sported layers of thermal clothing and face masks leaving only the skin around our eyes bare...a solid plan that kept us alive and relatively comfy through the two-day vaca.  The festival itself consisted mostly of walking around and admiring the enormous castles, though there were plenty of opportunities to ride slides made of ice (slash watch dozens of adults and children piling up at the bottom of the slides...equally, if not more, entertaining).  There were also photo ops with yaks and foxes as well as hot beverages to defrost yourself from the inside out.  

**Upon moving here, I've heard a few references made to the Chinese cold remedy of boiling Coke and ginger together and I finally got to try it in Harbin.   I shouldn't forget to mention that I'm mildly obsessed with ginger now and the supernatural effects it has on my sensitive stomach (in a totally positive way)...that being said, I am jumping on the bandwagon with my Chinese friends and fully supporting this "herbal remedy".  It's amazing.  Try it. **

The Harbin visit was a great once in a lifetime experience, however, the girls and I have vowed to book a tropical holiday months in advance for the next Chinese New Year celebration.  I guess I'll always be a sunshine and beaches girl!