december travels

As a result of my visa issue and a wedding in the family, much of my December was spent out of Beijing. First I went to Hong Kong and Shenzhen (which is the border city in China right next to Hong Kong), which was a nice because I visited family in Hong Kong, escaped from the Beijing cold, and of course saw a completely different part of China.

Here's some highlights:

*Seeing green- since all plant matter had died in Beijing by the end of November, I realized that I missed seeing life

It might be 25 degrees warmer than Beijing in Hong Kong, but some things don't change.

*Spending time with my aunt S, uncle D, and cousin R- even though they were busy during the day, they still found time to take me to have a dim sum brunch as well as the typical Hong Kong street food

Aunt S' delicious home-made dinner

Jackfruit (the king of fruits?)

*The new & old Hong Kong- in a similar way to Beijing, you could find narrow streets with traditional markets just meters away from Western shops and skyscrapers.

The convenience of these streets! After you buy your raw meat, just go next door for some shoe shopping.

The glittery HK skyline at dusk

In late December, I flew to the Sichuan province to visit family and attend my cousin's wedding. This trip was a test of my ability to recall names and relationships but I managed alright. Oh right, everybody insisted on taking me out to eat extremely delicious (but spicy and oily) foods so I also gained some kilos during the 6-day trip. It had been 8 years since the last time I had traveled to Sichuan so one of the best parts was reconnecting with all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles, and meeting my "new" nieces and nephews!

The newlyweds

Oh, did I mention that I persuaded into being a bridesmaid? At least in China the expectations are different from the U.S., with the main bridesmaid/maid of honor requirement being that she is unmarried.

Deyang's Bell Tower

A typical bowl of 5RMB noodles

I pretty much ate this for 6 days straight.

At the Chengdu panda sanctuary (Breeding and Research Center). Unfortunately I didn't fork over the 1200RMB that you can pay to chill and take photos with the pandas- maybe next time!