Beijing, China
Friday, August 24, 2012
***I am posting to my blog via email right now... so the pictures may be out of order and either all at the beginning or all at the end.... I will be fixing that and updating with more details/pictures once I am back in the states.***
As you can see we lost a day in travel... I spent all day thinking it was Thursday the 23rd, until I started writing this blog and realized I had forgotten to fix the date on my watch!!! So we started the day with a very good breakfast here at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beijing. Went down, got food, and then we proceeded to people watch. It is crazy how much we couldn't help ourselves from stareing/watching the families with previously Adopted children. How the kids laughed and giggled and loved on their parents.... like a light was being shown for the potential soon-to-be dark and difficult road of Attachment and Bonding.
After that, we exchanged some money at a nifty little machine they have in the lobby. Oh, before I forget, the night before... we had organized our stuff and realized we were going to need some more water in the morning. So we went down to the desk to exchange some money (at 2am) and head to the 7-11 and get some water, but the receptionist told us they would send up more of the small FREE bottles of water. Ok... so after we exchanged money, we met up with our group and our guide, George. As we were walking up to our group, another lady yelled "That's Carmel" and came running over and gave me a HUGE HUG.... it was Katie Komoda from the DTC Winter and Spring Group. It was SO NICE to already feel like their were a few families there that I already knew and were friends with. :) :) Anyway, it proved to be a very positive omen. We have a GREAT Group!!! Everyone is great to be with, we all talk and share stories and laugh with one another.
Our 1st stop was the Hutong Alley... where families live in the more Traditional Beijing lifestyle. We got there by way of a Rickshaw Ride!!! (Of course, I had to pull out Raggedy Ann and Bunny to get their pictures on their 1st rickshaw rides too.) We got a tour of one gentlemen's house. It was small and modest, with a mixture of old and new. He was an artist, so he had his workshop all setup with his paintings and such on tables and chairs that seemed very ricketty. Then on the walls were flatscreen TV's and pictures of his ancestors. When we went into the Kitchen area, there were 3 beautiful cats in a comfortable looking cage... the one on the bottom, was rolled on his back and showing us his tummy. :) :) As we were leaving the alley our guide, George... every the one to take care of us... asked if any of us needed to use the restroom. Well a few of us took him up on it.... you guessed it.... squatty potties. They weren't that bad, smelled... but not that bad. Of course, I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity.... and got a picture of Raggety Ann with a squatty potty too. hahahahahaha.
From there we went to the Silk Factory. They showed us how Silk worms are grown, develop and are then harvested. It was actually pretty COOL.... watching those little silk cacoons being pulled apart by a single thread all the way down to the worm inside!!! From there they took us to a couple of different stations to show us how the silk is pulled apart to make bedspreads and things. I was able to find a couple of very nice wall hangings for B'Elanna there at a VERY affordable price. I also found a pair of Children's Chopsticks I couldn't pass up for my Mom... they had a Pink Cat on the top.... and I have had some serious "concerns" about her starving here... having to use chopsticks and all. Well, we left the factory and headed to lunch. I pulled out Mom's chopsticks... she tried them and FAILED misserably (see attached picture). After a few attempts, she went back to the forks the restuarunt kindly provided for us.
After that, it was on to Tiannamen Square. Got my picture in the courtyard with Chairman Mao's picture, saw some beautiful landscaping, and then.... was asked by some local women and girls to pose for a couple of pictures with them. I think it was because I was holding the Raggety Ann and Bunny dolls for pictures. My mom and a couple of others think it is because of my Red hair. When they said that... I asked if I should go back and tell them it is a dye job. :) :)
From there, we walked to/thru the Forbidden City. It was nice. A lot of beautiful Architecture and pictures, but by then we were Hot, Sweaty and Tired... so we only took in about half of it. Gold is the color of the Emperor, Jade and Goats go together for some reason and it is important, we didn't get to go to the big Giant Jade Lions to get our pictures taken.... oh, and I am a HOT, SWEATY MESS!!
OK... so we started our day at 8:45am and were back in the hotel by 4:30pm. We got to our rooms to download pictures and cool off and then the Franklin's, my Mom and I went our to dinner at the Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel. It was OK.... but none of us finished our food and we went out for Hagen-Daze afterwards. This city comes ALIVE after it starts to cool down!!! We had to walk a few blocks to the icecream and we passed line-dancing, Break-dancing and Fan dancing in the park. People walking dogs, kids and parents our socializing... it was a Mad house!!
Well, we are back in our room.... cooling down AGAIN. We meet the group and George tomorrow morning at 8:30am for the Great Wall, Jade Factory and Acrobatics Show.... another long day.
ONLY 2 MORE DAYS, 3 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL I GET B'ELANNA!!!!
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