My Beijing report was kind of brief and not very informative, but I've taken a few day trips just on the outskirts of the city. Longqing Xia was a really beautiful day trip, a mini-gorge, horsebackriding and bungee jumping!
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Longest escalator in the world, in the shape of a yellow dragon. Rawr!
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As much as I love my sweet sweet Beijing, sometimes you just need to get out of the smog and people filled city to enjoy nature. Longqing Xia provided the necessary relief from city life- even if it was just a day. Cheap to get to, and a good day of adventure. I was going through my invincible stage (haha as if I've finished it) and in two weeks managed to go bungee jumping, get my tongue pierced, and go to a random city in Inner Mongolia and get my bum kicked by untrained mongolian horses. My dad pleaded with me to tone it down because he really wanted me to return from China.
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Longqing Xia is about 80km north of Beijing and it is a mini version of China's famous three gorges. And, after visiting to Guilin it really does resemble the moutains of South China. It is home of the worlds longest elevator, in the sahpe of a Dragon. There is horseback riding, with really good horses- especially in retrospect after my horrid Inner Mongolia horse experience. There are river rides, about 30 minutes long, that let you see the little gorge plus hiking and bungee jumping!
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The bungee jumping really tested my courage, it was really hard for me to fight my what, are you fcking insane? part of my brain that said no to jump off anything with a rope attached in China. Chances are, you'd die. But, that trigger failed when I got my tongue pierced at a sorta shady market in Beijing. So I think that part of my brain needs some tuning because its not working so well. I mustered the courage, and after standing in ankle shackles while it poured and they covered the precious machine that had my life in its hands with a dirty card board box to keep it functioning in the rain I was pushed off the platform and met my doom. Fortunately, I didn't actually meet doom. I just screamed like a scared little girl and then flailed around like an idiot. When I was finally unhooked and taken to shore people clapped and got pictures taken with me. It must have been quite the spectacle to induce that much picture taking. I felt like a hero.
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Hanging upside, I kicked off my shoe!
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More on bungee jumping... my poor boyfriend had just returned to China after being evacuated because he fell off the great wall so his fun was limited due to recovering back injuries and a broken arm.
It wasn't actually safe, apparently you are supposed to wear a harness when you bungee jump instead of just ankle shackles. We didn't know this, nor did we care because for 150RMB we'll jump off just about anything. I mean, if its that cheap we aren't going to pass it up. My back hurt for about a week afterward but it was worth the pain... I think. At least worth the bragging rights.
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Roomat e(Spikey hair colombian) and boyfriend (goofy smiling hottie)
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no accomodations necessary. We took bus 919 from Deshengmen. Starting at 6am the bus leaves every 5 minutes and the last bus returns at 6:30pm.
From the final stop in yanqing county we took a cab to Longqing Xia, maybe we paid 20rmb or something. We then hiked up to the gorge area but you can get golf carts if you want to pay.
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I just fill these in to get room for more pictures, so just skim over this and look at the picture to the right or left.
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Ditto. Pictures are worth more than words sometimes.
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We didn't eat there- we grabbed fruit at the bus stop and ate when we returned to Beijing.
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Me telling my guide to give me the reins because I know how to ride. The guide and I raced together.
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Horseback riding- Very good, fun and even though you get a guide they let you do what you want. Although, there was a ton of confusion about the price and such. they don't really tell you much until you are already on the horse.
It was 10 rmb for 15 minutes or something, but you had to pay for your guides horse too, so like 20rmb a half hour. They gave EACH of us a guide and told us we had to pay for the guide after a half hour when we started talking price. We bargained a little, rode for an hour. My boyfriend just walked while the guide led this horse because of the recovering injuries while my roommate and I raced up and down the area at a canter. It was a lot of fun actually.
The poor boyfriend had to watch my roommate and I have all the fun while he snapped photos of us.
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Published on Sunday November 6th, 2005
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Tue, Nov 08 2005 - 03:33 PM
 by jesusferro
Mon, Nov 07 2005 - 10:37 AM
by horourke
I love your approach to the clubs bit!!
Whenever I write another report I shall remember |
Sun, Nov 06 2005 - 02:45 PM
by toribio
Sun, Nov 06 2005 - 02:24 PM
by davidx
| I doubt I shall ever see this place but wow! you make me want to. Take a bit of notice of your dad, though. if you don't come back from China, we shall stop getting your fine reports!! |
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