Harbin was the coldest place I have ever been to in my entire life (I was spoiled growing up in California). It is about 12 hrs north of Beijing by train. This city is famous for its ice sculptures and snow carvings during the winter months. We were there for a few days and it was just so much fun. We went sledding down the side of the river bank and ice skated on the river. We watched some incredibly brave people swim in the river. What they basically do is carve a large hole in the river and melt the ice, creating a pool. Then they tried not to stand in one place too long (because then their feet would be frozen and stuck to the ice). After doing some warm up exercises, they dive right in while the rest of us stand around in our down jackets. Of course, there were some melacholic moments on this trip. We visited the "731" Memorial dedicated to the Chinese and Russians that were killed by the Japanese in the 1930s. The memorial was created as a reminder of the atrocities of war.

Photos coming soon!!