Sunday: Rural Village and Ming Tombs (Brenda and Lauren)

Today was a busy day.  First, we had breakfast in our beautiful hotel.  It was so delicious! :) Then, we visited a village and had the opportunity to watch some of the villagers make tofu.  Afterwards, we were able to try some of that tofu, as our lunch consisted of different foods all made from it.  Even our drinks were made from tofu!  At the end of our meal, our wonderful tour guide David brought us some of the most delicious strawberries we had ever tasted.  A couple of us (myself included) bought even more at the market outside of the village.  The market was really cool because not only were we able to practice our Mandarin with the vendors, but we got to buy unique and interesting goods such as gourds and dried fruits.  When everybody was finished, we got back on the bus and drove to see the Ming tombs.  It was so cool to explore the museum and read about the different emperors (like Emperor Yongle) and see all the jade artifacts.  After that, we got to visit yet another market, except this time, we got to practice our bargaining skills.  For dinner, we ate porridge and "Chinese pizza."  Then came the acrobatic show!!  We were so amazed at the tricks and stunts that the performers (who surprisingly weren't much older than us) were able to do.  We all held our breath as they piled on top of each other on a single bike or raced after one another on motorcycles in a gigantic metal ball.  We also sat in the very first row, which made it even cooler.  Then, we drove back to the hotel.  We were ready for bed after such an exciting day.