We were up early, as we do not seem to sleep much past 4am here. So to make it short, since I am tired. Here is what we did today:
Tiananmen Square-so many people, so much larger than I thought from other pictures I have seen. It seemed like the biggest open place in a city I have ever seen. It was nice meeting others in our group of 34 people. (4 Barker Families and 12 families from Children's Hope International.)
Forbidden City-Let's just say it is a long walk to the garden which ended the trip-we walked through building after building and it was amazing to see. It was full of people as well. I was a little overwhelmed when we left by the sight of some of the many beggars on the street. So incredibly sad. We helped where we could for a few. I try not to take for granted the life I have in America, but seeing some of these poor people will certainly humble you. One blind man was playing a chinese instrument while his small little girl collected any money...it was so hot and I felt so sorry for them both. Someone sat a cold bottle of water down but the little girl never touched it while we were there. She kept playing with a touring guide she had found. She might have been 3 or 4 years old. I secretly prayed for them but the reality of their world is incredibly sad.
Great Wall-Very amazing! I climbed as far as I could but Chuck made it to the first tower-so he is considered a hero by Chinese Standards. Poppy went as far as I did, but had to watch out for his knees so he stopped too. It was kind of emotional to get to the wall and know not many have seen this. I think I just had the overwhelming moment knowing Shiloh was not far away and while this was one of the seven wonders of the world...the biggest wonder for me is a little girl waiting for a family in Baotou. I knew before I left for China that I would be standing on the great wall and just wishing I had my baby. The funny thing is we get to tour and see all these famous China sites and the little girl I am getting has probably never seen all this and will go home with us without ever seeing it. We have vowed to bring her back one day to do just that.
Olympic Bird's Nest-The Guide just pulled the bus over for us to take pictures. (Just for you Mom!) We were fed lunch today and that was the highlight for Poppy and Chuck. We went to a restaurant which served us lazy susan family style a traditional Beijing (Peking Duck) meal. We actually had several Chicken dishes, one pork and one beef with rice and veggies...the duck is called "Crispy Duck" We put it in crape like shells, kind of like very thin tortillas, and added plum sauce and veggies with the duck and it was good. Chuck and Poppy loved it. We ended the meal with hot tea made from chrysanthumim (flower tea). I am not kidding the tea was boiled from the flowers you would pull from the back yard. Rock sugar could be added. Poppy and Chuck liked it, but it wasn't for me-kind of like drinking boiled grass. I still enjoyed the experience. Unless you have been to China you cannot imagine how it is to cross the street. It is like a game of frogger. I just do not understand how they drive and no one is killed. We rode in a large tour bus today and Chuck got a picture of a bus next to us and it could not have been 1 inch away. Bikers and carts dart in and out and those with cars speed in and out of traffic until all of us on the bus would cringe as we thought surely someone was hit. Cars just pull out in front of each other. I thought Atlanta traffic was bad. Our guides Jessie and Cindy have been great. Jessie saw Shiloh two weeks ago and said that the nannies said she was a good girl, and very smart. They both think she is cute. So tomorrow we will fly to Hohhot and in 2.5 more days we will get Shiloh. We were told we will get her at our hotel at 12pm. I have enjoyed Beijing, but the thing that is so sad is the smog. I just thought it was cloudy at first but if you look at the pictures of the mountains and great wall and the city pictures....it is thick smog. I am not even sure it is safe to breathe here. Dakota, we get baby Shiloh soon! We love and miss you so much!
Tiananmen Square-so many people, so much larger than I thought from other pictures I have seen. It seemed like the biggest open place in a city I have ever seen. It was nice meeting others in our group of 34 people. (4 Barker Families and 12 families from Children's Hope International.)
Forbidden City-Let's just say it is a long walk to the garden which ended the trip-we walked through building after building and it was amazing to see. It was full of people as well. I was a little overwhelmed when we left by the sight of some of the many beggars on the street. So incredibly sad. We helped where we could for a few. I try not to take for granted the life I have in America, but seeing some of these poor people will certainly humble you. One blind man was playing a chinese instrument while his small little girl collected any money...it was so hot and I felt so sorry for them both. Someone sat a cold bottle of water down but the little girl never touched it while we were there. She kept playing with a touring guide she had found. She might have been 3 or 4 years old. I secretly prayed for them but the reality of their world is incredibly sad.
Great Wall-Very amazing! I climbed as far as I could but Chuck made it to the first tower-so he is considered a hero by Chinese Standards. Poppy went as far as I did, but had to watch out for his knees so he stopped too. It was kind of emotional to get to the wall and know not many have seen this. I think I just had the overwhelming moment knowing Shiloh was not far away and while this was one of the seven wonders of the world...the biggest wonder for me is a little girl waiting for a family in Baotou. I knew before I left for China that I would be standing on the great wall and just wishing I had my baby. The funny thing is we get to tour and see all these famous China sites and the little girl I am getting has probably never seen all this and will go home with us without ever seeing it. We have vowed to bring her back one day to do just that.
Olympic Bird's Nest-The Guide just pulled the bus over for us to take pictures. (Just for you Mom!) We were fed lunch today and that was the highlight for Poppy and Chuck. We went to a restaurant which served us lazy susan family style a traditional Beijing (Peking Duck) meal. We actually had several Chicken dishes, one pork and one beef with rice and veggies...the duck is called "Crispy Duck" We put it in crape like shells, kind of like very thin tortillas, and added plum sauce and veggies with the duck and it was good. Chuck and Poppy loved it. We ended the meal with hot tea made from chrysanthumim (flower tea). I am not kidding the tea was boiled from the flowers you would pull from the back yard. Rock sugar could be added. Poppy and Chuck liked it, but it wasn't for me-kind of like drinking boiled grass. I still enjoyed the experience. Unless you have been to China you cannot imagine how it is to cross the street. It is like a game of frogger. I just do not understand how they drive and no one is killed. We rode in a large tour bus today and Chuck got a picture of a bus next to us and it could not have been 1 inch away. Bikers and carts dart in and out and those with cars speed in and out of traffic until all of us on the bus would cringe as we thought surely someone was hit. Cars just pull out in front of each other. I thought Atlanta traffic was bad. Our guides Jessie and Cindy have been great. Jessie saw Shiloh two weeks ago and said that the nannies said she was a good girl, and very smart. They both think she is cute. So tomorrow we will fly to Hohhot and in 2.5 more days we will get Shiloh. We were told we will get her at our hotel at 12pm. I have enjoyed Beijing, but the thing that is so sad is the smog. I just thought it was cloudy at first but if you look at the pictures of the mountains and great wall and the city pictures....it is thick smog. I am not even sure it is safe to breathe here. Dakota, we get baby Shiloh soon! We love and miss you so much!
1 comment:
Hey guys!
Your pictures are stunning. I bet the Great Wall was awesome. I would love to see it one day. Counting the minutes until I can see a picture of you guys with Shiloh.
Love,
Diane
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