The last feast in China

Hello for the last time in China. That is a really sad thing to say but tomorrow I fly back to America and this amazing adventure will come to an end. Today was a little more of a down day because we had to travel back to Beijing in order to get on our flight. We woke up and finished packing and then had a quick breakfast before loading onto the bus. On our way to the train station, we made a stop at some local stores to buy kung fu uniforms, shoes, suvineres and more. It was a very fun stop and another chance to blend the American and Chinese cultures through shopping experiences. The "shoppertunity" soon ended and our bus took us to the train station. The five hour train ride back to Beijing was surprisingly enjoyable and comfortable. It was the last time for our entire group to bond together so we made it a fun time together. The train eventually arrived in Beijing and we got in a bus to our hotel. We had a little bit of time to get changed and then it was time for our Duck Dinner.

Everyone was dressed in their nicest clothes for our last meal and we were so excited to enjoy a Chinese favorite. I was wearing a black silk kung fu master outfit that I had purchased a few days earlier. It was increadibly comfortable and looked very stylish, almost like a tuxedo. Well all of us decked out in our fanciest outfits got on the bus for our restaurant. The restaurant is one of the most famous in Beijing and for that reason was very busy. As we entered we were taken into the elevator to the top floor where we went to our own private room. Before eating, our videographer, Jimbo, who has been filming us the entire trip played the films that he had edited. You have seen them on the main blog (dsachina.blogspot.com) and they were shared with us on the big screen. It was so phenominal to relive the things that we had done together one more time. This trip has been so outstanding and the dinner was the perfect end to it. The main course was peking duck that was absolutely amazing and so fresh. I have had peking duck before in the states but this was so much fresher and tasted a lot nicer. After the chef was done carving the whole duck, he sliced off the head and put it on a plate in the middle. I figured that I wouldn't have many opportunities in my life to eat duck brain so I took my chop sticks and dug in. I was not a huge fan of it, it was very squishy and the flavor was not very appetizing. Come to think about it, it actually tasted as gross as you would think duck brain should taste. That was not the only exotic dish at our last meal, however. Before the duck our server brought out a dish that had scorpians on it. I was not going to leave China with out eating bugs and now I can leave a happy person. The scorpians didn't really taste that bad they tasted like a very crunchy potato chip. It was actually pretty tasty, the only thing was the knowledge that it was a scorpian. Before putting it in my mouth the small creature was staring me in the face and it was a huge mind game. My brain was telling me that it was a scorpian and was weird and gross but my mouth told me it tasted pretty decent. Eventually my mouth won in the fight and I ate two scorpians to fulfill my desire to eat bugs. The meal came to an end and I was so happy to enjoy these two exotic Chinese meals. Saddly, though, the ending also meant an end to the trip and we had to start saying our goodbyes. We will still see the students and teachers at breakfast tomorrow but it was our last time with most of the Chinese travel staff. We said a somber goodbye and took pictures and returned to the hotel for one last night of sleep in China.

Since this will probably be my last blog post from China I want to really thank Discover Student Adventure so much for this opportunity. They really have an unparalleled way to allow students and teachers to explore foreign lands in a truly exclusive and authentic way. I really hope that you have enjoyed following me on this adventure digitally and I hope that through my blog you have also learned about the land of China. I would strongly suggest for anybody who has thought to travel abroad to do it now and do it with DSA. Trips in 2010 include destinations such as Australia, South Africa, Arctic, Italy and Greece, Costa Rica, Galapagos and Equador, New Zeland and Fiji, and of course China! For more information on any of the trips take a look at www.discoverystudentadventures.com or feel free to email me at cbolotskydsa@gmail.com.