On behalf of our two China Mojo trip adult co-organizers - the Office of Advancement's Kathleen Barnes and the CCM Division's Dr. Rob Williams (me) - welcome to our China Mojo trip page.
Below you will find all pertinent information about our nine day trip trip to China.
Note: All China Mojo students have signed a contract detailing expectations and behavioral norms for our trip. You can read the contract here - and we will be reviewing it one more time the day before we leave for Beijing.
Dr. Rob Williams, CCM Division, Champlain College.
Kathleen Barnes, Office of Advancement; Champlain College.
Know that, as prepared as our students are for this adventure, through our readings, films, blog posts, and discussions, there is no substitute for actual "in country" experience.
We are excited to explore as much of China and visit with our Chinese hosts in the relatively short time we have overseas.
In the event of an emergency, please click on this link for a complete STUDY ABROAD emergency phone tree.
We look forward to sharing our adventures with you upon our return!
China Mojo a'go go!
Xie xie!
Zaijian,
Dr. Rob Williams
China Mojo: MARCH 2011 Trip Itinerary
Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 13, 2011.
The Yangtze River by boat.
ITINERARY!
Friday, March 4: EARLY Morning flight--> Burlington, VT (Continental CO 3247 - 6:08 am departure) to Newark, NJ. Newark, New Jersey (Continental CO89 - 11:50 departure), to Beijing, China (arriving at 2:35 the afternoon of March 5).
"IN CHINA" CONTACT for Wuhan/Three Gorges portion of trip: Stephen Wilmarth
US Cell: +1 860 227 1225 / SMS (Google Voice): +1 860 598 0279 / China Cell: +86 153 2712 9709 / Skype: swilmarth / Email: stephen.wilmarth@gmail.com
Saturday, March 5: Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon. Two-hour flight to Wuhan. Leaving Beijing at 5:10 pm (Air China CA 1365), arriving in Wuhan at 7:15 pm.
Stay in Wuhan’s Xinagu Hotel on Saturday night.
NOTE - We emailed a detailed 5 day Wuhan itinerary to all China Mojo students. We encourage you to ask them to email it to you, if you have not seen it yet, or email Rob --> rwilliams@champlain.edu.
Sunday, March 6: Settling into Wuhan; visit with HuaZhong Normal University students and faculty. Home Stay and greater Wuhan touring. Meet our host families.
Monday, March 7: Wuhan – Home Stay and greater Wuhan touring.
Tuesday, March 8: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat on the Yangtze River.
Wednesday, March 9: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat on the Yangtze River.
Thursday, March 10: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat.
Afternoon - fly from Wuhan (Air China flight CA 8205 leaving at 12:55 pm); arriving in Beijing at 2:50 pm.
Public train from Beijing Airport to downtown Beijing.
Settle in at Jiangou Garden Hotel.
Address：No.17 Jianguomennei Avenue, Beijing / PC:100005 / Telephone: ( 86 10 ) 6528 6666 / Fax Number: ( 86 10 ) 6522 5261 / Website: www.jianguogardenhotel.com.
"IN CHINA" CONTACT for BEIJING portion of trip: rwilliams@champlain.edu (email) / 802.279.3364 (text/telephone) / Skype: robwilliamsmedia.
Friday, March 11: Beijing – Great Wall of China “Wild Wall” Day Tour. Pick up at 6:30 am with William in Jiangou Garden Hotel lobby.
Saturday, March 12: Downtown Beijing - Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City in the morning; Shopping/markets in afternoon and evening.
Sunday, March 13: Pack up in the morning and head to airport by 11:00.
Leave Beijing, China (Continental CO88 departing at 3:45 pm) to Newark, New Jersey. Newark, New Jersey (Continental CO3246 departing at 9:59 pm) for Burlington, Vermont. Arrival in Burlington at 11:24 pm on Sunday night, March 13.
While in China, we will be rooming in pairs for both our hotel nights and home stay visits.
CHINA MOJO 2011: WUHAN HOSTING/PAIR PARTNERS
WOMEN
Elise Wernoff and Sarah Thibodeau
Abigail Clark and Ana Dempsey
Sarah Prak and Emily Krol
Emily Snyder and Blythe Wisniewski
Katie Martel and Kathleen Barnes
MEN
Sean Taberman and Ian Maurer
Andrew Chung and Dan Cooley
Eric Pollock and Stephen Pinkham
George Hoffman and Alex Harken
Maxwell King and Justin Perry
WUHAN NOTES FROM our "IN CHINA" contact STEVE WILMARTH:
WEATHER & CRUISING RELATED QUESTIONS:
Temperature / precipitation ranges for Beijing.
Temperature / precipitation ranges for Wuhan / 3 Gorges.
Daily temperatures here in Wuhan are edging back up to highs of 50 deg F, but rain or clouds can keep it down a bit. Nonetheless, in a few weeks we should be in a comfortable range of between low to mid 30s at night and mid 50s during the day. Shouldn't be too hard on tough Vermonters who've survived the winter of '10-'11. Layers will work. Hats and gloves that take up too much space in the backpack probably aren't necessary. Keep in mind that there isn't any central heating in this part of China, and I marvel at how the Chinese cope with freezing temperatures in houses without heat. (I've learned to love my long underwear.) But the worst of winter's weather is behind us now and it should be relatively easy-going on our inveterate adventure travelers.
The boat trip is easy sailing, never more than 100 meters from shore and pretty smooth. If Dramamine is needed, I'd be surprised.
The cruise is 2 nights and 1 full day, sandwiched between 2 half-days. There will be plenty of stops along the river for disembarkation and local exploring, plus some time gawking at the Pride of Chinese Engineering (the 3 Gorges Dam).
MY NEEDS:
I only need your group to be primed as goodwill ambassadors. The people of Wuhan will roll out the red carpet and go overboard to please you as honored guests (in the manner of the Xu family). As honored guests, your Chinese hosts will want you to sample all of the specially prepared dishes (Suggestion: try a "Don't ask; don't tell" approach on food, especially for those with limited-range dietary habits) and take in the local culture. Usually, this is where some Americans can get a little flinty. A little cultural prep can go a long way towards avoiding misunderstandings, disappointments, and hurt feelings. At schools, students will want a never ending number of pictures and face-time. Expect to divide the group up in order to serve 6,000 expectant students and faculty.
MONEY:
Basically only cash works in this country. Unless you're staying at 5 star hotels, credit cards and travelers checks are not accepted by the locals. So, come with US dollars and I'll make some time for a money exchange here in Wuhan at most favorable exchange rates. (I recommend making a minimum exchange at the airport in Beijing during your brief layover. Rates are not all that favorable at the airport.)
A GO GO!
