Beijing VS. the Tarvers

Ok, it's on! How many sites can we see in 2 days? We are going to set a record and our guide Angela is up for the challenge. First stop: Tiananmen Square. This is big and crowded and we stick out. The street vendors begin their ascent and got Trinity first with a pink umbrella. We turned around and saw the Mao Mausoleum and see a really long line line and skip, while still curious. We turn to the right and see the main party building that is on all of the money and where they meet and greet the foreign dignitaries. Basically, where Nixon went. To the right is the peoples monument full of storied regarding the heroes of the People's uprising, straight ahead is the Forbidden City, but the locals call it the Palace Museum.

The Forbidden City

In a word, AWESOME, and like the name says this is a city, and it is Huge, it just keep going and going, gate after gate. Absolutely incredible. It took 14 years to build and seeing is believing. I got a shot of the Emperors Throne which was the single most difficult task. Think of working your way to the front of a bar on dollar pitcher of beer night at college, then throw in a free money give away too, then get pushed around by aggressive 80 years old women. Did I care...nope. Survival of the fittest, baby. they have free health care, right? 8^)

Lunch! Peking Duck

Man, this was good. Lunch was amazing. Best Chinese food Shana has ever eaten.

Hutong

After the run through of the city, we went to visit a local family in the HuTong district. This is where the people who worked in the Forbidden City lived as they were not worthy of living in it. Families still live there today and we toured a home and took a rickshaw through the area. Rickshaw dude earned his money as the three of us we all in the same ride.

The Great Wall and living the Kung Fu Dream

I have always wanted to go to the Great Wall and it was everything I had hoped and more. the weather was beautiful and we visited a section of it (the thing is over 3,000 miles long and disconnected for those those who may not know) about 2 hours outside of Beijing. We took a chairlift up and we were planning on on a toboggan ride down. A hugely long and awesome looking toboggan!

Side note: Trinity is very popular here, apparently her albums have gone triple platinum and she often gets mobbed for photos and autographs. Her mom does too, I'm left smiling and holding the bags. A proud husband and father waiting in the wings.

So, we get to the top and there we are...on the Great Wall. The skies were clear and it was zig zagging over the mountain side.

We walked a bit and went into a watch tower that we would be able to climb to the top and I changed into my dress uniform. Yes, I brought my dress uniform for Kung Fu as my Kung Fu dream has been to practice my art on the Great Wall. And I did, so that is a big check off the old bucket list! This also coincides with my Sifu's 30th anniversary of teaching Kung Fu, so happy anniversary Sifu Chu!

After the dream was realized we started back down to get on the much anticipated toboggan ride and they were closed!!!!!! Daddy has some serious making up to do with Trinity now. Anyways, we got the chair lift to take us back down- which was an absolutely amazing view-still not a toboggan-but amazing nonetheless. We slept on the way back as well as you can in a van, much like how you would sleep on an airplane and then had dinner in a private room restaurant all the while trying to not do a face plant in our meal.

That is it for today. Stay tuned for part II of our epic battle VS Beijing. Tomorrow we go after the Bird's Nest, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Silk Factory, Pearl Market and Kung Fu Theater!