On Monday, students met in the lobby, said their final goodbyes and headed to the airport. At the airport, after several students had to pay for extra baggage (Guilin certainly offered this group great shopping options), the group rested until the flight to Beijing. Upon arrival in Beijing, the students were taken to the Pearl Market, a building of seven stories of shops. Around nine at night, the students were picked up and brought to Beijing Institute of Technology’s hotel. Even fancier than GXNU’s “International Student Hotel”, the students were amazed to see their fancy rooms. Exhausted from a day of traveling and shopping, the students went to sleep.
The following morning, students met after breakfast and toured the Forbidden City. After their quick tour, lunch was had at a Sichuanese restaurant. After lunch, the group rode to the entrance of the Beihai Lake District. From the entrance to the lake, it was a nice thirty minute stroll to Madame Sun Yatsen’s Palace, which looks out on a quieter part of the of the lake, well past the tourist bars and cafes. The Palace was to close shortly so the students took a whirlwind tour of the grounds and then walked through the Hutong, Beijing’s famous labyrinth of homes. On the other side of the walk, the students were greeted by the bus driver and just as a torrential downpour began, the driver whisked them away to a famous Beijing Duck restaurant. It was the final night in Beijing, the final night in China. Dinner was delicious and the students were a mix of excitement to be returning home and sadness to be leaving China.
Toasts were made with Sprite and tea, food was eaten, jokes told, and students reminded one another of their favorite moments from the trip. After dinner, all returned to the hotel, the rain continuing, and prepared for the journey home.
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