Hou Hai...even better the second time around...

I've gotta say, EAP hooks it up!  Though I mentioned in my last post that I visited HouHai, EAP took us as a group with an official tour and everything. We got to see a lot of really interesting areas with so much history, not to mention personal group tour guides. Initially, I thought we'd be doing a walk-around tour, but with the prices being so cheap (you have NO idea, I'm living like a queen!), every two people got their own rikashaws (sp?), and we sat back as the funny chinamen -most of them drunk- transported us around the lake. 

After that, the most adorable Chinese couple, no younger than 70 opened up their house to our group in a traditional, though surprisingly clean Hutong (a word for the typical chinese neighborhood).  

So clearly, we needed a break from the EXHAUSTING trip, so we went into this garden/museum type thing that used to be the house of an insanely wealthy prince, Prince Gong. (apparently, he was 90x richer than bill gates...who knows, maybe i will bring myself home a chinaman) Anyway, the garden was beautiful, as most of the greenery here is, and the best part is that we got to partake in a traditional chinese tea ceremony where they explained how to pour the tea, clean it, drink it etc...the porcelain-ware was so beautifully detailed and there is so much history/method to the ceremony, it was truly eye-opening.  

So take that plus an amazing free dinner and a boat ride with live music, and we've got one of the most fantastic days I've had here yet.  Again, I wish you all could be here to experience this with me, but the next best thing are these really fun pics..enjoy!

oh yeah and about the whole education part of this trip...we had our first day of class!  It was really tough because there are a bunch of second-year students (i'm in the intermediate track) in my class, but I can tell I'll be learning A LOT of Chinese here.  So stoked!

Zai Jian Peng You Men!