Friday, October 24, 2014

Day 1- Beijing

First, I want to thank you all for the prayers for our trip. It went very smoothly and we had no delay's. It was as enjoyable trip as a trek across the world could be, I suppose.
After a pretty uneventful flight to Beijing (I'll try to blog on that later), we had our first day of touring today. Our agency has us come in a few days early to get used to the time change and to have us get to know a bit about our children's culture. I really love that we got this opportunity.

When we woke up this morning we had a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel. Noodle's for breakfast was a big hit! They actually had a great mix of western-style eats and more traditional Chinese selections. Anyway, it was quite yummy!

After breakfast, we set off in the bus to Tiananmen square and the Forbidden City. The details in the buildings were beautiful and the area was huge. It was quite a walk for jet lagged people, but I think we all enjoyed it.



 
 




After that, we drove over to Hutong. Hutong is basically old town. It's a living example of the way Chinese used to live (and still do in this community). A community of houses where even the toilets and showers are communal. I was very intrigued by this area. It was very worn down, dusty and dirty, but just seemed rich with culture. And a tight knit community.

We took a rickshaw ride through the area. I tell you what, those men have some strong legs.
 


 
 
 
In Hutong, we were served a meal by a local family in their home. It was wonderful!

 
 
Overall, it was a great day. We all felt pretty good and we enjoyed seeing the sights.
Next, we go to Great Wall of China!



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