Day 5 – Bullet Train from Beijing to Shanghai
This day was less walking than we had done the whole trip. We took the Bullet Train from Beijing to Shanghai. Before we left the US, we got a message from the travel agency asking if we would like to upgrade to First Class for $55 each. We took the upgrade for the extra legroom. […]
Day 4 – Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong, Olympic Park
This was probably one of the most exhausting days on the trip. First of all, the complex that holds Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City is HUGE! I felt that we did not spend much time here, other than simply walking through, but I think it would literally take a full day (or more) to […]
Day Three – Temple of Heaven, Tea Ceremony, Pearl Market, Peking Duck
This day was packed! Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven. This was a religious temple used by the Ming and Qing Emperors for yearly prayers for the harvest. The complex was absolutely beautiful and the area is free for “senior citizens” to visit. In the park, there were groups of seniors doing exercise, […]
Day Two Beijing – The Summer Palace, VIPKid Headquarters, The Legend of KungFu
Day two in Beijing was a little bit harder to get up in the morning. We had walked a lot the day before and jet lag was still causing us trouble sleeping through the night. Our first stop was The Summer Palace. On the way from where our bus left us to the entrance, there […]
Day One Beijing – The Great Wall and the Golden Mask Dynasty
Our first day was absolutely amazing! After a nice breakfast at the Penta Hotel, we all loaded a bus and headed to our first destination: The Great Wall at Mutianyu. It was almost a 2 hour drive, but our tour guide Cactus kept us entertained and informed the whole way. She told us about the […]
Flight and Arrival in Beijing
Our adventure started on November 12, 2019 when our flight left DFW airport at 10:35 in the morning. Upon arrival at the gate, we met a couple of the other VIPKid teachers (and family members) mostly since I had worn my bright orange “Teacher Twila” shirt. TIP: There will be a list of flights in […]
VIPKid Field Trip to China – Introduction
On September 17, the Weekly Teacher Update included a little blurb about a Field Trip to China scheduled for November 13-21. At first, I didn’t really give it much thought because traveling to China seemed impossible. I’m not sure exactly why I looked at the information further, but it sounded like fun (and was a […]