Disney Land....Sort Of

 After my late night on the fourth of July, Liz and I decided to stay in on Friday night, but got up early on Saturday to go to Shijingshan Amusement Park. We wanted a break from being tourists so we went to Beijing’s attempt at Disneyland and rode rollercoasters all day. I have to say that it was a lot of fun, but there is no way you could even compare it to Disney world. Bush Gardens or something smaller in scale would be a better comparison. I was a little nervous going on a number of the rides simply because the Chinese do not do a lot up keep but I lived to tell about it so it all worked out. J If you ever come to China that is one thing you will notice. Not only do things appear old and dirty due to the pollution, but because they do not clean or refurbish a lot. A great example is the Birds Nest or the stadium that was built for the Olympics. It does not look like it was built in 5 years ago because it is so dirty from the pollution and they do not bother to do anything about it. Infrastructure makes me a little nervous when it comes to bridges and the subway here, because with 20 million people they get used a lot. Maybe my worrying is for nothing and they do more refurbishing than is physically noticeable, but I would not be surprised if a ride broke down at an amusement park here. 

Beijing's Magic Kingdom

 These mice were the mascot's of the theme park. I think they were trying to mimic Mickey mouse without actually copying Disney Land. Didn't really work in my opinion. Can't beat Mickey.

On Saturday night we went to a very nice club called Element. Going out here has been a lot of fun, not only because I am in a different country, but because I am in a huge city. North Carolina just doesn’t cut it with regards to going out. It has been a lot of fun here, and I cannot wait for my brothers to come out with me in two weeks. There are no age limits here so I can’t wait to show them the city.

Other than that, Liz and I have gone to a few shopping malls to buy skirts and short sleeve shirts because it is just so hot here. The weather is very comparable to NC, but unlike NC the air conditioning is not the same.  You walk inside and the office is pretty stuffy. I am sitting at my desk right now in a skirt and short sleeve shirt sweating.  The shopping malls are just like any U.S. shopping mall and the prices are also the same, which is why we have tried to do our shopping in the markets where you can bargain. Not much else is new. Can’t wait for my family to get here. Until next time. 

Kristen xoxo