Bokerboys take trip to China’s Great Wall

THERE WERE tearful scenes at the gates of Wexford CBS as parents waved goodbye to their sons. That’s, right you guessed it, the Bokerboys were on tour again. This year we travelled to Beijing and to Shanghai in China. We were all full with excitement as none of us had been to this exotic part of the world before.

On arrival in China we found there was a major cultural difference from home and this made us eager to experience China’s scenic beauty and history. We were all exhausted from the journey and to our relief the first thing that was arranged was a peaceful walk along the banks of the Houhai Lake which was a magnificent sight to see.

As we went off in the evening the weather was calm and there weren’t many people around for such a populated area. We were given some free time to roam the sights as we pleased and we enjoyed the freedom.

As there were many sites to see in Beijing our fun filled days began at 8.30 am and finished at 9 in the evening. Emma, our tour guide and Tony, the trip organiser were very pleasant and were happy to show us around their city and teach us about the historical aspects of it.

In Beijing we visited many places including the Forbidden City, the Lama Temple, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China. The weather was in the low twenties each day and we were all dressed in summer clothes while the Chinese population were wrapped up in coats.

Each of the temples we visited was unique. We may only be boys from Wexford but we all managed to make it to the top of the Great Wall as a group.

It was a tough but enjoyable effort and the scenes amazed all of us.

There are many different cultures in China with their own delicacies and we were fortunate to experience a lot of them. Each flavour varies from spicy to sour to sweet. The food is cooked in a unique way and each ingredient has vibrant flavour.

The last two days of our trip consisted of a visit to Shanghai. We travelled on an overnight train which was a first for most. We noticed an architectural difference between Beijing and Shanghai as the city was more developed with skyscrapers.

It was an amazing trip and we couldn’t have enjoyed it as much as we did without the help of our teachers. We would like to thank Mr Ahearne, Ms Ivers and Ms Scallan for making the trip of a lifetime come true.