Zoe’s Experience So Far:

June 13, 2019

This is for Grandma and Grandpa:

Over the past two weeks, our adventures have been crazy. It has been so fun traveling to new places, learning and being exposed to all new things. Its also been very tiring but its all worth it.

In Japan, Tokyo was amazing. I loved everything about it. I loved how friendly everyone was, how amazing the food was, how busy the city was, and I also enjoyed hearing my dad speak Japanese. At times, the crowded streets became overwhelming and I felt bit claustrophobic, but the parks in the city were beautiful places to get away from the craziness. One of the highlights was definitely our stay at the capsule hotel. Before the trip, I had read articles and watched videos about it, but actually staying there was so cool.

In China, Hong Kong was my favorite city. HK has been our second city in China. I’ve done so many amazing things while being here, and I love it all. The only bad things about this city right now are the weather and the protests turning violent. However, I think its so cool to be here while these important protests are going on. An exciting part of Hong Kong is seeing the night market (and eating amazing Indian food while being there.) The market is filled with practically everything. Other highlights include seeing the city from many different perspectives. On the first day here, my dad and I walked along the bay that looked over the bay and Hong Kong Island. On the second day, the whole family went up to Victoria Peak, which overlooks the bay from the opposite side and the main land of Hong Kong. Another cool view is from the street level, which seems to be more crowded on the island than the mainland.

Beijing was very different from HK. It’s much bigger, and not so friendly. It was hard getting adjusted to the flow of Beijing and how restricted it felt compared to the US. All of my social media was blocked and it was hard to contact people because even WhatsApp didn’t work at times. My favorite part of Beijing was the tour of the city. It made me appreciate it more and find the good things about it. The Great Wall was amazing and the slide down was my favorite part. It was so cool seeing the city and landscape of china from a different view. A highlight of Beijing was definitely the Lama Temple and seeing the 18-meter-tall statue of Buddha. It was breathtaking and I now owe my dad two Yuan for thinking it would be small (my bad, little did I know.)

Through the ups and downs so far (missing home and getting used to Beijing), the past two weeks have been amazingly educational with breathtaking views and adventures I won’t forget. I can’t wait for more!