We've just returned from our 11-day trip to China. It was an amazing experience and we were fortunate enough to share it with some great friends, Herman and Traci, who pretty much planned the details of the trip. We also got to travel with their friends/relatives: Jervis, Herman's brother, and his girlfriend Jen, and Kelly, Traci's cousin, and her husband, Matt. Our conglomerate of people was varied but we all traveled well together and had a lot of laughs along the way.
The trip was divided into 4 cities: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, and Shanghai. Even though we live the closest to China, we arrived the latest due to flight delays and poor weather (this includes sitting on an airplane for 4 hours on the tarmac at a random airport, waiting for the weather to clear for us to land at a subsequent airport). Thankfully, we were excited enough about the trip that our spirits weren't crushed after such long delays.
Here we are leaving Okinawa in our matching "Team Juloa" t-shirts that Traci made us for an anniversary gift. Like the matching stickers too? They were for a shuttle ride we never took due to the delays. Yes, we were very matchy-matchy. And we were okay with that.
After almost 7 hours on an airplane (we were only supposed to be taking a 2 hour flight), we finally landed in Shanghai. However, we weren't allowed to exit the airplane until all passengers were medically cleared. We couldn't help but giggle and think of ET when a van full of Chinese health officials entered our plane looking like this:
All they did was take our temperatures. Once we arrived at Shanghai, we had to grab our bags and figure out a way to get to Beijing, where we would meet up with our group. Unfortunately we had missed our shuttle a long time ago. This nice guy, with limited English speaking skills, really helped us out by getting us a plane ticket to Beijing and tried to help us place a phone call. We had to get his picture.
The flight to Beijing wasn't for several hours and we hadn't eaten much, so we grabbed a bite to eat. Here's our first official meal in China: freshly squeezed apple juice and some kind of spicy beef dish with rice.
We made it to Beijing around 3 am. We met the group the next morning and all of us headed off to see the one thing that MUST be experienced in Beijing: the Great Wall. On the way to the entrance, vendors sell all kinds of things: hats, drinks, souvenirs, dried fruit, t-shirts....you name it.
Since we knew we'd be doing a lot of walking on the Wall, we decided to take a skyline or "ropeway" ride up the mountain. I didn't get a picture of it, but here's a picture of what the ride looks like from one of the windows in the watchtowers.
Finally, we reached the top and started hiking the Wall. It was amazing! The day was somewhat hazy and as always, pictures don't really do justice to the vastness of it. I love how it lays out across the mountain tops and bends with each curve.
Team Juloa at the Great Wall
The guys: Noa, Jervis, Herman, and Matt
Up close: writing on the Wall
Another view
Sorry for the blurry shot. I had to take it quick so the vendor wouldn't yell at me. We figured out that this is how some of the vendors bring their stuff up to the wall to sell it. Imagine our surprise to turn a corner and find a random donkey standing there!
To get back down we all rode these little "toboggans" which were basically sleds with wheels. There is a slide, or chute, that you take with the toboggans which is pretty fun. Although after purchasing our tickets, I was disappointed they didn't offer rides down the mountain on the back of a child (read the sign).
After a quick clean up at the hotel, we headed out for a much needed dinner at a restaurant famous for it's Peking duck. This was my second time eating Peking duck and it was still just as delicious as I remembered it.
Here are the ducks waiting to be cooked
The cooking process
One of our ducks being carved by a chef. We were also given certified papers on our ducks that gave the serial number of which ducks we ate. This kinda freaked me out - you know I'm an animal person - but, well... it was really good duck.
Okay, so moving on to day 2 in Beijing. We started the day at an open air market called Beijing Panjia Yuan Flea Market. We were able to pick up a few souvenirs, see the local crafts, and try our hand at bargaining with the vendors. Here's part of the group: Noa on the left, Traci cracking up, Matt standing behind her, and Herman on the right.
Although I loved it, Noa said this dog statue wouldn't fit in our luggage.
I did buy 2 of these shadow puppets for school. I actually had taught a unit on puppets when I taught in preschool and these were one of the kinds of puppets we learned about!
Mao clocks scattered on the table caught my eye. There were a lot of Mao-themed items, including books, watches, playing cards, posters, clothing....the works.
I was in the market for a crazy hat for our school's "Crazy Hat Day," but thought this one was a bit much.
I spy a little girl....
After walking around, we all got head massages at a local salon.
Followed by a tour of the Forbidden City! This was the home of the emperor for 2 dynasties and was off limits for about 500 years. The detail and artistry in the buildings here is quite impressive and ornate.
Here are the ladies sporting our cool electronic guides. From left to right is Kelly, Traci, me, and Jen.
Noa and Herman do their best dragon impression.
And flash their regular smiles (like the "cool" earpieces?)
Similar to our Shisa dogs in Okinawa, Chinese lion-dogs flank entryways to many buildings. This is the female lion-dog.
I'm not sure if I'm remembering this correctly, but I'm pretty sure that these large pots were used to collect rainwater in case of fire.
The number of animals on the roof signifies the building's importance: the more animals, the more important the building.
To say the Forbidden City is large is an understatement. It has over 8,000 rooms, extensive courtyards, and a large, beautiful garden in the back.
After the tour, we took rickshaw rides through the hutong. Beijing's hutong is the surviving neighborhoods with narrow alleyways between traditional courtyard-type houses. Here's an example of the narrow roads:
Team Juloa ready for a ride!
After our dumpling dinner that night (yum!), we enjoyed our first of many Chinese foot massages (more on those later). The following morning we had a few hours before our flight, so we went to a local silk market, Starbucks and lastly the Beijing Olympic Village. The highlight of this area is the Bird's Nest, used for the opening ceremonies and other events. It is an amazing structure.
Walking through Olympic Village. It was extremely hot and hazy that day.
B is for Bird's Nest!
Like Japan, many Chinese smoke. The good doctor was encouraged to see this smoking cessation aid dispenser in the stadium.
The group was impressed by the graphic designs chosen for this venue. It reminded me of Japan since it is so cute!
Again, loved the graphic display of numbers, the random white seats, and yes, they were actually comfortable!
Looking out into the stadium.
Next up: Xi'an! Stay tuned!
