Okay, so perhaps “strangest” is not quite the word I’m looking for.
Maybe “most surreal” can better describe this experience. “Most unique,” perhaps. Or “the travel experience I’ll always tell people about.”
No, it wasn’t the time I toured Savannah in the back of a converted hearse. It wasn’t the time that I traveled around Ireland with an Irish rock band. And it wasn’t even the time I got felt up in a Chinese techno club (though that comes in a close second).
Can you guess what my experience was yet?
This experience DID take place in China, however. China — probably the most “different” place I’ve traveled to; the place that forced me the furthest outside of my comfort zone. From the Chinese club incident, to getting handed tangerines as a “thank you” for taking someone’s photo, to having covert photos taken of ME, I had a lot of odd experiences in China.
But the oddest experience of all had to be the afternoon when I found myself in full marching band uniform, playing pop songs ON THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
Right after we rocked "Since U Been Gone."
Yes. Polyester uniform. Sparkly black plume. Cymbals. Kelly Clarkson songs. All while standing on top of one of the most recognizable structures known to man.
WHO DOES THIS?
Well, the Ohio Northern University marching band did it in 2007. We toured China for a week, playing multiple concerts in some ridiculous locations (other concerts happened on a stage at Shanghai’s Nanjing Road, where we were projected on 2 massive jumbotrons, and at the Temple of Earth in Beijing). But, out of all the strange places we put on our uniforms and picked up our instruments, the Great Wall was the one that I am still in awe about.
I'd imagine it's not everyday that you see tubas at the Great Wall.
I mean, few people even get to set foot on the Great Wall. But to say I’ve actually played a concert on this giant? Well, I feel like that’s pretty darn unique.
The whole band on the Wall.
It’s definitely something I will never, ever forget.
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What are some of YOUR most unique/strange travel experiences?
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Want to see more photos of me being a band geek in China? Check out our band photo at the Bund in Shanghai, and a photo taken by me mid-performance on Nanjing Road.
You’re so cute in a band uniform!
Not many people can say they played in a marching band on the Great Wall of China! You are the envy of many people who have this on their bucket list.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Where in the world am I?
Hahaha. Oh, marching band.
Do many people have “play in a marching band on the Great Wall of China” on their bucket lists??? Lol. I’d love to hear from anyone who does.
Numerous Atlantic crossings on small sail boats, being rescued by the French Navy in the Madagascar Channel, racing on Voortrekker, South Africa’s most famous racing sailboat.
Being rescued by the French Navy in Madagascar sounds like something out of a movie! Wow!
What a cool gig. Do you remember the rest of your set list?
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..October links: Donut burgers, fly fishing and mobile mansions
Hmm… not entirely, no. It was an EXTREMELY random setlist. I know there were a few Chinese songs thrown in (like “The Moon Represents My Heart” and “Jasmine Flower”), some opera classics like “Nessun Dorma” and “The Marriage of Figaro,” and some Broadway tunes like “Phantom of the Opera,” along with some other pop songs.
But does anyone have “playing in a marching band” in their list!! Were you able to march and play on it, or were you static?
John in France recently posted..Hitler’s morning off in Paris.
Haha, exactly my question, John! I had “climb the Great Wall” on my bucket list, but certainly not “crash cymbals on the Great Wall”!
And no, we couldn’t actually march on it. We just played a stand-still concert. The wall is so steep and the steps so uneven that we would have killed ourselves trying to actually march on it!!
Hilarious! I can’t beat that one, I’m afraid. I have been given a random mandarin by a stranger though (in Japan, on a train, because I had a cold, I think). But I am seriously considering adding play in a marching band on the Great Wall to my bucket list
Amanda Kendle recently posted..Magical Miyajima, Japan (but watch out for the deer)
Haha, that would be awesome if you added this to your bucket list! Even better if you ever crossed it off! It certainly was a unique experience.
Funny–we went to the Great Wall on a freezing Christmas day, and were practically alone on the Wall. If only there’d a drumline….
NLM recently posted..Sibling Rivalry? Us?
Wouldn’t your climb have been much more epic with a drumline there?
LOL China is definitely second to none when it comes to odd travel experiences, and one of my best ones happened right on the Great Wall, I got in from China and exited in Mongolia! Well, Inner Mongolia, but still…
Angela recently posted..Tehran in pictures, a temptation of local markets and sweets shops
I don’t know what it is about China! But you’re right, plenty of people seem to have some truly unique travel experiences there.
How were you received by the crowd? Did you get an encore?
Donald
Travergence
The crowd seemed both slightly confused and completely enthralled. Because we were performing at large tourist attractions, many of the Chinese people there were tourists themselves. So, not only was it the first time for most of them seeing a live marching band, but it was also the first time for some of them seeing Westerners up-close. Needless to say, we had A LOT of photos taken of us. But they seemed to enjoy our concerts!
I am currently in China and just went to the Great Wall. I cannot imagine going there and suddenly encountering a marching band playing pop songs from the U.S. That would definitely be surreal.
Now just imagine being IN that marching band! Definitely a surreal experience. But also a very cool one. It’s certainly one that I won’t ever forget!
Clearly I participated in the wrong activities in college! The Young Democrats didn’t exactly send us to China, lol.
One of my most bizarre travel experiences was driving though Mississippi just so we could take our Jeep to an off-roading park, where I feel into a mud hole up to my waist and almost got ran over by a monster mud truck with wheels taller than me. It was all very terrifying.
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..East Side Gallery: Artwork on the Berlin Wall
Oh my gosh, that DOES sound terrifying! At least my Great Wall experience included very little risk of physical harm! Lol.
But yes, I was very lucky to be in the marching band at a small, private university that partially funded our travel (that trip to China, for example, cost us $1100 each, including airfare, accommodation, visas, transport, and some food!). In fact, the only reason I joined band to begin with was because of the travel opportunities. At summer orientation my freshman year the band director gave a little speech and said the band was going to Italy for a performance tour that fall. Needless to say, I signed up the very next day!!
I would definitely want to visit China and the Great Wall some day. But must confess, the thought of playing in a marching band never entered my head!
Abhijit recently posted..Utopia? No, no.. it’s poo-topia!
Haha, I feel like marching bands (of this sort, at least) are a pretty distinctly American thing these days — associated with football and parades mostly. But it was fun getting to travel with the band. We visited Italy, Canada, and China in the 3 years that I was a band member. I definitely can’t complain!
Never thought being in a marching band can help someone cross off a bucket list item of visiting the Great Wall!
Shirlene from Idelish recently posted..{Worldwide} Traditional Foods You Should Try from Around the World
Ha, I know, right?? But I sure jumped at the chance!
Now that’s a story to tell the grandkids!
Candice recently posted..Film Lovers! Want NLFreeride Tickets to Some Ski and Snowboard Flicks?
Haha, sure is! My poor grandkids are going to get the impression that China is the weirdest place ever…
What an experience! I would love to experience the same thing but instead of playing Kelly Clarkson songs, I would love to bring Girl Power in China through Spice Girls’ Wannabe
)
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..The Ruins in Talisay City: One of the World’s Most Fascinating Ruins
Haha! Oh my gosh, Spice Girls on the Great Wall would have been EPIC!