Day 5- Last day in Beijing, China

                                                                     Day 5
We slept well again and this morning was very smoggy.  We went to an Art Space called 798- the street address.  Many artists from around the world, including Chinese artists have their galleries and studios there.  Annie picked us up at 8:00 a.m. because our flight was leaving around 1:55 p.m. and she wanted us at the airport three hours in advance.  Only one of the galleries opened at 10 a.m. that we could go into so we walked around and looked at the sculptures and wall paintings.  I think Alex liked looking around.

We ended up tipping our guide and driver in dollars and appreciated all the explanation and way they took care of us during our time in Beijing.  We really enjoyed our trip!  So glad to be back in Japan though but well worth the trip.  Missed you, Rachel!

Day 4

                                                                 Day 4
We slept well in our hotel room with the window open again and ate downstairs at the breakfast buffet.  We met Annie at 8:00 a.m. to drive out to the Great Wall.  Michelle Obama and her daughters were going to the Great Wall that day too.  We drove about an hour out to a section of the Great Wall- with the most stairs.  Annie explained that much of the wall is not maintained by the government and cannot be visited.  Some of the wall is in the desert and ends by a river.  I couldn't believe how long it really was.  We had about an hour and a half to climb and take photos.  Alex bought a medal that said that he had walked the Great Wall of China.

The part we ended up walking was mostly stairs and very narrow.  It was very cool!  Alex bought 40 Great Wall and Beijing magnets for his classmates and basketball team members and had trouble going through customs on the way back to Japan.  Security thought he was taking back coins, not magnets.
After hiking, we visited a Jade Factory and watched how they carved jade into jewelry and sculptures.

We ate lunch and visited the Olympic Park to see the Bird's Nest and Water Cube downtown Beijing.

Later, we visited a Silk Factory where we were able to see the silkworms, silk and how quilts were made.  Ended up buying Januck a silk tie with dragon on it.  A nice souvenir!  We were asked if there was another show we would like to see or more factories but we were tired and returned to our hotel to rest.  Alex wanted to try McDonald's for dinner to see if the taste was the same as in the States, so we found one on a map and ventured out of our hotel and walked to one.  It did taste the same!

Day 3

                                                                       Day 3
    We slept well, except the hotel room was hot and when we called down to the Front Desk they sent someone up to our room to open the window.  We ate a breakfast buffet at the hotel before meeting Annie, our tour guide.
    She introduced us to our new driver, Mr. Huan and then we went to the zoo to see the pandas.  We ended up buying Alex a musical panda toy that moves in circles and it holds a basketball.

Next, we went to the Summer Palace.  It is where the Emperor and family used to come during the summer to enjoy the lake, gardens and long corridor.  We walked by the buildings, along the corridor and rode on a dragon boat on the lake.  Michelle Obama and daughters were going there that day as well but we didn't see them. Below is a photo of Annie, our guide and me.

After the Summer Palace, we went to a Pearl Factory and was told the way you can tell if you are buying real pearls are if you rub them together, they produce a powder. We went to have lunch and then were off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  We were dropped off by our driver and walked for about two hours.  Could not believe how big both were.

Our guide, Annie was forbidden to talk about the student riots.  She did tell us about the different buildings of the Forbidden city and the number of concubines the Emperor was allowed to have- 72!

Vendors walked with us and tried to sell us anything from guide books, hats, Rolex watches to kites during our stay in Beijing.  They liked to be paid in dollars!
Then, we were taken to a tea house and tried four different kinds of tea.  We ended up buying two kinds- the ginseng oolong tea and the jasmine tea.  They showed a peeing statue boy where if you pour hot water over it, then it pees.  Of course, we got one of those for Alex.
After the tea house, we went to dinner to try Peking Duck.   We rolled the duck pieces up into a crepe with a type of BBQ sauce.  It was very good, but Alex's stomach was starting to hurt from all the new food, so he mostly ate white rice for dinner.  After dinner, we went to a Kung Fu theater to see a show.  Very fun and interesting!

Spring Vacation to Beijing, China- Day 1 and 2

                                                                   DAY 1 and 2
 It was our first trip without our daughter, Rachel so it was bittersweet.  Januck, Alex and I decided that going to the Great Wall would be pretty cool so we thought about going to Beijing and found out we could go on a 72 hour free visa and booked out flights and an English tour.  About one week before leaving, Chinatour.com informed us we would need a visa to enter China.  Fortunately, we worked with a Japanese travel company that got all our paperwork into the Chinese embassy and we expedited our visas.  We got them two days before we were to depart for China.
  We decided to drive to Narita airport and stay in a hotel where we could park our car.  It was a good plan until a highway in Tokyo was shut down and it took us about 5 1/2 hours to drive from Numazu to the airport hotel.  Usually the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours.   Had a good rest and took the shuttle for a morning flight out to Beijing connecting through Shanghai.  Alex forgot to take out a pair of scissors out of his pencil case so the security check resulted in opening his backpack, his scissors being measured by a ruler and then later being confiscated.
   When we arrived in Beijing airport, our bags were not at the baggage claim but at an international baggage claim so there was some confusion.  We met our guide, Annie and got our bags before getting in our van with the driver.  They took us into the city to our hotel, the Oriental Bay.
Driving was a bit scary in Beijing.  No apparent rules about lane changing and many drivers would honk at each other regularly.
   Annie welcomed us and gave us gifts.  She explained that we were on our own for dinner and she would pick us up the next day at 8:30 a.m.  We met with a staff member's wife and kids that were visiting Beijing for dinner.  We had a feast of really good Chinese food!  The best being the sweet and sour pork, looking and tasting nothing like what we order in the States.