Dandong

We went to Dandong, China this weekend - a 3 hour drive north of Dalian. Dandong borders North Korea. There's so much to say about our 32 hour trip, I'm not sure where to start...

How about with this quote from Mike? "This blog is just writing itself..." said as our driver was driving through the McDonald's drive-thru in Dandong the WRONG WAY! Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a drive-thru in Dalian, so likely he didn't know it WAS a drive-thru. Luckily, the people of Dandong don't seem to use it either, as we didn't meet anyone coming the other way (at 12:30 on a Saturday). Just one of many interesting adventures on this trip.

Top 3 Scary Things That Happened:

3. Having two little dogs follow us down the path near the Great Wall and then attempting to follow us up a cliff. We were all very afraid that the little dogs would fall and get very hurt.

2. Taking the shortcut from the end of the Great Wall back to the parking lot. The first part was a dirt trail but then it turned into a metal pathway hanging off a cliff over the river. Most people take the boat ride on the river to get back, but the boat wasn't running. We chose not to look at how the pathway was built until AFTER we finished.



1. Our driver nearly falling asleep at the wheel 1 hour into our trip home. Eyes closed, head nodding. Luckily my sixth sense from mothering had kicked in about 10 minutes before when we were slowing and drifting in the lane, so I had started watching him from the backseat. I said his name to wake him and then kept him awake (by kicking the seat and talking) until the rest stop 10 minutes later. Then we changed seats and I sat in the front and talked to him for the next 2 hours.




The Best 6 Parts of the Adventure:

6. Playing on the "exercise" equipment in the park near the hotel. We have seen these exercise stations in different parts of Dalian, but they have been in places that are not convenient to stop. So this was the perfect opportunity to try them out and the kids had a blast.



5. Walking the half of the bridge that still exists on the China side of the river that separates China and North Korea. North Korea tore down their side after it was damaged in the Korean War.



4. Visiting the Museum to Commemorate US Aggression. A huge museum with the history of the Korean War (which the Chinese call the The Campaign to Resist American Aggression and Aid the Korean People). This is the Korean war from the Chinese point of view (they were on North Korea's side, BTW). Talk of US Imperialists, pictures of smiling troops of US soldiers who apparently had just surrendered, and lots of details about how the Chinese helped bring peace. No mention in the museum that North Korea started the war...

3. Staying at a beautiful hotel. For just $75 (US), a beautiful room, with a view of the darkness of North Korea at night (a little eerie), luxurious towels and a TV that I could see from the shower.



2. Finally walking on the Great Wall of China. It was a rebuilt and refurbished section, but still it shows the magnitude of the task of building the wall. We were on the easternmost section and walked about 1 km to where it ends at North Korea. Lots of steps, tall towers, sheer cliffs. Amazing.



1. Coming home. When we've come back to our home in China from our vacations in other countries, I've always felt a little bit of regret - wishing I could stay longer, eat more, etc. This was our first time coming back from a vacation within mainland China. And it felt good to be home (safely) and when we came in the house, it even smelled like home.

More pictures are here in a Picasa web album. Double click to view the album.

Dandong

If you want to read more about the history of Dandong and North Korea, here is a link to a brief article.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/04/165_10839.html

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