Beijing Retrospective

So, I haven’t done many updates from this city. Basically, that is because we have been so busy in the mornings, when I am best at writing and thinking clearly, and because I don’t have a computer at my easy disposal.

So, here is a quick recap:

We started Beijing with a day of rest then with dinner at a famous food street a few bus stops from our hotel. I was not feeling well, so I stayed behind. After a day of rest, I felt much better and ready to face the next two days seeing the major sites.

Tuesday:

Our hotel is just a short bus ride from Tiananmen Square and the South Gate of the Forbidden City.  We toured both sites and found the experience illuminating but not exhilarating. It was very crowded and so huge… without a tour guide, it was hard to understand everything we were seeing, but still worth the visit.

For lunch, we had Beijing Noodles on the North end of the Forbidden City, very near our hotel.  Then it was a few moments rest until our evening activities:

An Acrobatic show

Peking Duck for dinner

The Olympic Arenas

Sleep

Wednesday:

The Great Wall! Our tour guide, Mark, took us to a place off the beaten path, a section of the wall not visited by tourists. Basically, we had the wall to ourselves. It is a challenging hike but so wonderful to be out in nature. The section we were at crossed over a river and was settled into a canyon that reminded me of the canyon between Malibu and Thousand Oaks. The trees and foliage was very similar. It was a warm, clear day with blue skies.

Lunch at KFC.

Then a quick tour of The Summer Palace.

Dinner of lamb and chicken… And we even had a salad.

Thursday:

Most of the crew went to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. I went with Jiateng and Min to meet Jiateng’s cousin and girlfriend and have Peking Duck at the most famous place in Beijing… the same restaurant that hosted Nixon.  So… tasty! They spoiled me.

A quick stop at the Pearl Market.

Home for a nap… I started getting a cold this morning…

Debriefing with the team… our last night in China.

And now:

Most of the students went off on their own to the famous food street for one last “food adventure” in China. Lishan and I bought dinner at a wonderful Hu Tong food street around the corner (noodles with chicken and mushrooms) and I ate it in my hotel room, trying to get well. Lishan had come down with a cold too.

Jiateng and Min said good bye… it was so wonderful having them here.

Well… that’s the recap. Now, off to sleep in preparation for the LONG plane flight.

Blessings your way!