This past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the school I’m a consultant for took all of us on a full expenses paid vacation! I had seriously never hear of such a phenomenon before. I thought, when they first told me about it, that They would pay for the hotel and I would pay for my food. NAYNAY. All of it was paid for. The only thing out of my pocket was souvenirs and snacks. And that was only the beginning of the coolness that was this trip.

Day one.
Again, I had to be up at an unholy hour of the day for a vacation. I was out of the house before Monica was even awake! I was at the office, the meeting place, by 7:45am (please keep in mind that I live about an hour away with clear traffic.) Since we didn’t have to be there until 8:30, yes I was that early, I made a pit stop at my friendly neighborhood Starbucks. The baristas here now know me as soon as I walk in. They even repeat my order back to me before I make it. But, on the up side, I sometimes get cute, personalized notes on my drink cup. Finally, 8:30 rolled around and everyone was prepared, except for one… Everyone was loaded up in the van we rented and we had to wait 30 more minutes for Ray, the head teacher, to make it. Then the driving started. It was a seven hour car ride to our destination for the day, but it was fascinating. As I stared out the window, my eyes must have mirrored those of a child. Pure fascination with the world around me. As I watched, the skyscrapers, smog, and city lights faded away to be replaced with towering, black and white rocks covered in a forest of trees and bushes, bright green grasses, and clear blue skies. I must have had the goofiest grin on my face half the time, I was just so excited for a change in scenery!

I will admit though, I fell asleep during the ride… I was exhausted from so little sleep the night before and the entire two weeks previous… Sorry! We stopped for lunch around 1:00 at a rest area. Please, allow me to describe the restroom in a public, Chinese rest area. First, I shall begin with the smell. I knew it would be bad when Ray gave me this little nugget, “I have been here before. It is horrible.” I was still a couple feet away from the entrance to the restroom when my unfortunate nostrils were struck with the pungent aroma of hot urine. Yes, you read that right. If you all remember the Chinese style toilet is a hole in the ground, maybe you will understand the issue this presents for women. There’s about thirty stalls in a concrete box. The only ventilation for the box are the windows. It is hot and humid without a breeze. Basically, all the ventilation is doing is steaming the smell. As I am perusing the stalls in search of a clean one, I notice something most unfortunate. The floor is wet, and no, not from water. I discover an acceptable stall ie: the one with the fewest puddles. The toilet paper…goes in the waste basket, not the toilet. I feel like I need a shower at this point. You think I get to wash my hands at least. NAYNAY. I get to rinse. The Chinese people, as a general rule, do not use soap in the bathroom. They believe that if one person touches the soap pump with dirty hands, that they will be dirty. So they prefer not use soap and just touch everything, but soap, with dirty hands…no, it does not makes sense to me either. I have never been so relieved to get out of a bathroom… On the road again!

We left Guangzhou at 9:00am; we arrived in Guangxi at 5:00pm. Totally worth it. The town we stayed in is a resort style town situated at the base of some of the black hills of rock. A river flowed through the middle of town. The air was clean and fresh, I could see the sky, and the honking was definitely less frequent. Our first dinner while on vacation was outstanding. We walked around about thirty minutes looking for the right restaurant, there were so many to choose from, at least thirty on each side of the street. Ten dishes. They ordered ten different dishes. Duck, egg, vegetables, fish, jelly egg, tofu, etc. all graced or table that night. Each dish was a treat. After a wonderful meal, it was time to go shopping! Now, after dark, the throngs of people appeared. The streets were jam packed with shoppers and sellers. Not only were there stores, there were outside stands and carts also. And, of course, I bought stuff… Chinese candy and a wonderful tea were added to my pack. After we all had some fresh juice, it was time to go back to the hostel.
– End Day 1