Spring Blossom 2002

Finally our trip was dawning, and it was the day that marked the completion of our mission. So what did this mean?

PARTY TIME!

For many of us the day began at 12:00 midnight, partying all night long till our weary panda-like eyes could hold it no longer. So when the morning call came (a loud banging on the door by Mr. Boyce) we were all very unwilling to wake up.

Our last visit to out favourite restaurant.

We managed to gather all our luggage and drag ourselves onto the coach, comforted by the fact that the journey to Xining was 4 hours long and we would be able to sleep then. However, the incredible Ms. Jennifer Chow and the Women’s Guild had planned another action packed day for us. We were to go to a desert – a desert that had not yet been opened to the public – and we were to be the 1^st group of Hong Kong travelers to venture into the piece of land. We began to strip to T-shirts and Shorts, knowing that we were going to a desert, but the Women’s guild would not let us off the bus unless we were well covered as what greeted us was a cold and windy open area.

Group photo near the moon lake.

We got off the coach and packed ourselves into jeeps that would take us further into the desert. Seven of us cramped into a 4-seat jeep as we set off along the bumpy, primitive path. We squealed in excitement and terror as the jeep flew in the air. Finally, we reached the “Moon” lake and got off. The scenery we truly captivating. Dune after dune of sand grains so small that they could sieve through a piece of paper. A lake in the far distance that met the sky. We walked to the lake and learned from our guides that this was the Qinghai Lake, the largest salt lake in the world – 5 times the size of Hong Kong! Now this was too much for us and we took off our socks and shoes to wade in the “woo…fre—eez—ing” lake water to do “versions” of the Can Can, our very own Indian dance and also to Hokey Pokey (Which the teachers insisted was not the original version – it should have been the Hokey Cokey….What?) It was a lot of fun.

The whole desert was rather like an extended beach. We walked bare feet through the sand, climbing up dunes (believe me, it was hard) just for the sheer fun of rolling down them.

Huh? Where am I?

We climbed up the highest dune, with sand in our eyes, nostrils and cameras (yup, around 80% of the cameras were malfunctioning by this time...including the one we use to take these pictures.) and sang our school song - loudly and proudly.

Is that smoke coming out of my camera!?

After having lunch in one of the Mongolian huts situated in the rim of the desert, we climbed back on the coach for the remaining journey to Xining. Due to the lack of time and our need to take a shower to rinse out the sand in our eyes, nostrils and hair, we were forced to abandon the original plan to visit a landmark tourist spot in Qinghai, the Qutan Lamasery.

At 7, we were scheduled to attend a short exchange in a local kindergarten in Xining, like the day before at the primary school. We were surprised to see the glamorous, well-equipped school, after our experiences with the Spring Blossom School. It turned out that this was a prestigious kindergarten supported by the Women’s Guild, and the fee to enter was 300 Yuan a month (A whole year’s family income for the SB girls). The put on a superb array of dances for us, ranging from traditional Mongolian and Tibetan dances by the teachers, to the cute Modern dances of little girls imitating bees and flowers (we all exclaimed “how cute” in unison) We were surprised to see such young girls able to put up such complex and intricate dance moves as the girl did another back flip. As a result, we were eager to do well in our Indian dancing. We also did the Macarena and the Hokey Pokey, in which everyone joined in and had fun.

At Dinner there was a choice of Western and Chinese Cuisine, and we split into two groups for the meal. Then we returned to the Hotel.

The day turned out to be an amazing day. The scenery we saw would capture anyone’s soul and it was a once- in-a lifetime experience. The dances performed by the kindergarten children were inspiring. It was a real treat that provided a fabulous end to our trip.

By Kaye Lai